


The Hero's Ascension

by Skullszeyes



Category: The Legend of Zelda
Genre: Action & Romance, Action/Adventure, Adventure, Adventure & Romance, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Anxiety, Arguing, Attraction, Bisexuality, Blood and Violence, Boys In Love, Boys' Love, Comfort, Cuddling & Snuggling, Declarations Of Love, Denial, Denial of Feelings, Depression, Dissociation, Emotional Hurt, Eventual Romance, F/F, Fairies, Fear, Female Relationships, Flashbacks, Flirting, Frustration, Girls Kissing, Hallucinations, High Fantasy, Inheritance, Jealousy, Killing, Loneliness, Love at First Sight, M/M, Male Friendship, Male Slash, Male-Female Friendship, Mental Breakdown, Mental Instability, Minor Original Character(s), Mutual Pining, Original Female Character(s) - Freeform, POV Male Character, POV Third Person Limited, Pain, Panic Attacks, Platonic Female/Male Relationships, Play Fighting, Possessive Behavior, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Recovered Memories, Romantic Fluff, Royalty, Saving the World, Self-Doubt, Sexual Tension, Slow Burn, Strong Female Characters, Swordfighting, Timeline What Timeline, Violence, mentions of the other games
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-09
Updated: 2019-06-01
Packaged: 2019-06-24 08:06:39
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 33
Words: 66,029
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15626409
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Skullszeyes/pseuds/Skullszeyes
Summary: Link dreams of his destiny and fate, and when he's chosen to bare the old relic, he must find the sacred sword, the lost princess of a ruined kingdom, and the man shrouded in darkness. His quest takes a dangerous toll on him, the expectations weighing him down, including his desperation to keep his friends alive.





	1. A Dream of Destiny and Fate

**Author's Note:**

> Hey. I had this idea for Link in a different scenario unlike his previous counterparts in the games and books. If you want an idea of the Link I'm going to write, read my short story, A Hero's Lament. It'll take on themes of that story, but I'm making this into a multi-chapter story. :) 
> 
> *There will be multi-POV.*
> 
> I hope you enjoy. 
> 
> Comments and/or Kudo's are appreciated.

Storm clouds thickened the surrounding ruins of Hyrule Castle, and a man stood alone, shrouded in darkness, gripping a sword with the symbol of the old relic shining upon the back of his hand.

Across from this menacing being was a young man stepping forth, ready to fight, to end whatever the man decided to do with the world. One of the three pieces had bestowed upon him, sitting idle on the hand that clutched the sword of legend, from stories spoke to young children, to myths in old texts, and rumors fading in the wind as time went on.

To their right, far into the distance shone a white light, and like the man who was shrouded in darkness, this person was hidden by pure light, and they shared the same mark on the back of their own hand.

The puzzle must be completed, and they were the pieces that fit together, even though the three were vastly different with different ideals of the lifetime they lived in.

The one wearing the green tunic and hat, clutched the Blade of Evil’s Bane, and before he could take a step, the dream came to a startling end.

Link woke from an insistent knock coming from his front door. He scrambled, barely awake before falling off the bed and onto the floor. He groaned, pushing himself up, he walked toward the staircase and descended to the main floor of his home, past the nook in the corner where the green painted bookshelf and sofa sat against the wide window, and the kitchen that was close to the front door where the noise was coming from.

He grabbed the knob and pulled it open. The brightness of the outside made him wince, only to be laughed at by his friend, Jin. His brown soft hair was partially hiding the side of his face and he wore an amused grin.

“Finally awake?” Jin asked.

Link nodded, rubbing his eyes. “Yeah...what’s going on?”

Jin walked past him and into the house, Link closed the door and turned to see Jin with his hands on his hips.

“You were meant to meet us at Fado Lake.”

Link’s mind was still muddled by the dream and the questions to what he witnessed. It seemed real, the danger had his heart beating frantically in his chest. He glanced down at the back of his hand where the mark sat glowing faintly inside his dream. Except there was nothing there, just his plain hand unmarred.

“Sorry, Jin,” Link said, finally coming to his senses and looking up at his friend.

“Did you have a bad dream?” Jin asked, watching him peculiarly.

Link smiled, it seemed like a bad dream, and it seemed like something more important. He didn’t know what, but there was a sinking feeling in his gut that he knew why that place, those people, seemed so familiar. As if it happened before, standing in that same position, with the blade that he knew was only his, including the mark itself. There was an intense feeling toward the man, and an indifference to the bright light. He didn’t know why.

“Garik likes to ramble on about the _old ways_ ,” Link said with a shrug, “sometimes I listen to him, sometimes I don’t. His nonsensical stories must’ve gotten stuck in my head.”

“Do you always speak to Garik?” Jin asked, curiously.

“No.”

Jin nodded, “Alright. Well, you should get dressed and we can head out.”

Link watched Jin walk out the front door, and once it was closed, he went upstairs to look for clean clothes. He picked a simple deep blue tunic with red markings along the collar. He pulled on beige colored pants and socks. He looked for his rupees before heading downstairs to slip his shoes on.

Jin was at the bottom of his stairs, waiting for him with a plucked flower in his hand.

“Quit destroying my flowers,” Link reprimanded, glaring at Jin who gave a smirk in return as he discarded the pink flower and its pulled off petals.

They walked away from his home and along the path into Akyllan Village where they grew up in.

“Will Dira met us at Fado?” Link asked Jin who was quietly humming beside him. Jin was two inches taller than Link, and a year older. Since becoming adults, they were given more work in the village, and the expectations kept growing as they aged. Link wondered when he could ever wander alone without someone telling him that he had to set an example for the younger children.

“She’s bringing Keras,” Jin informed Link, who frowned.

“Why?” he asked. There was nothing wrong with Keras, except the stony gaze and indifference she piles onto them. Nothing they did ever made her smile, made her want to do something besides practice sword fighting with Vollon, the village master swordsman. He trains most recruits who wants to learn how to wield a weapon to defend their village, or even the other villages around Hyrule Plains.

Jin seemed content in Link’s presence, and his smile was always easy going. There were times when he was distracted when other people were with them, but it didn’t mean that Jin would get up and leave. He simply tolerated certain people.

“I didn’t ask Dira why she’s bringing Keras, but maybe Vollon isn’t teaching today,” Jin said, and it didn’t look like he cared about the real answer.

Link didn’t bother pushing the subject. The village was thriving like usual, houses sat along two roads, and young children played together between houses and into the farmlands. They were never allowed near the forests, nor the entrances of either side of the village. Once when Link was young and feisty, he had played pranks on most of the adults, and because of this temperament, he was isolated to a home away from the others, and as he grew older, the adults share a similar distrusting look when they see him.

He isn’t offended, more triumphant that he was able to have this type of affect.

Several young women they grew up with waved at them. Some who Jin had spoke to many times during their school years, and even had the chance to be more than friends. Link was never interested in dating, and when he was isolated, he grew distant toward the affection of others.

“Still dating Paka?” Link asked, his gaze spotted a young woman sitting on the steps of a shop. She wore a pink dress that came to her knees, and her long brown hair was pulled into a braid. Her gaze fell on them, and whatever carefree expression she had was gone.

“Broke up with her a long time ago,” Jin said, looking away from her and at Link, “I’d rather not date anyone I’m not interested in.”

“You dated a lot of people,” Link commented dryly.

Jin shrugged, “I didn’t know who I was interested in. It was all experimental at the time.”

“And you know now?” Link asked, they passed Paka whose gaze stayed on them until they were walking along the path out of the village.

Jin didn’t break eye contact when he said, “Yeah. I know who I’m interested in.”

Link hoped he’d elaborated, but Jin said nothing else, and they were interrupted by Dira standing at the end of the path with Keras. Her dark eyes were unlike most of the women in Akyllan, they spoke of dangerous things, and she had her arms crossed, looking quite peeved at them.

“You’re late.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This Link can speak. He's nineteen. And there are original characters placed everywhere in the story that's quite psychological, adventurous, and filled with friendship and romance. This all is of an alternate universe where this Link has flashbacks of previous Link's, and it deeply troubles him throughout the story where he either starts to merge with some of those Links, or he is trying to fight and stay the way he is while protecting his friend's. :)
> 
> I hope you enjoy my fic.
> 
> Comments and/or Kudo's are appreciative.


	2. A Memory

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Link and his friends are going to a lake, until Link catches sight of horses in the field, and a painful memory surfaces.

“It wasn’t my fault,” Jin said, giving Link a side glance as a smile pulled to the corner of his lips. “Link slept in, like always.”

Dira, a white haired woman with sheared hair that came to her shoulders, glared with her red eyes. "We told you days ago what we were doing."

Link shrugged. “Sorry that I like sleep more than going outside.”

Shaking her head, annoyed. "Whatever. It's still day time, we can manage this expedition and return in the evening."

“It’s not like we’re doing anything earth shattering,” Link says, yawning. Jin chuckles beside him. “We’re only going to Fado Lake.”

“Which sits between the woods, and Hyrule Plains,” Dira reminded him, she turned on her heel and gestured for Keras to follow her. Keras had dark skin, with long red hair, and golden eyes that shown a kind of boredom that was familiar to him.

They were pretty, and as they grew older, their beauty was obvious by the village boys that liked to faun over them. Link and Jin were friends with them as children. They didn't see them other than Dira was demanding and impatient. While Keras didn't want to do anything they wanted to do, but follows along anyway.

“I don’t see why she’s so fascinated by the lake,” Link says, following along after Dira and Keras.

Jin walked beside him, and shrugged at his comment. “Who knows? Dira likes her secrets, but she has been asking about fishing lately."

Link’s brows furrowed, once as he grew older, he had wanted to do that. Become a fisherman. He saw how the men and women of their village would go out and then return with a load of fish they separated amongst the adults. They’d cook fish over a fireplace, and eat until they were ready to go to bed.

"What if she thinks her soulmate will show up there." Link grinned. He'd love to see Dira wearing her most beautiful dress, and hoping someone would sweep her off her feet.

“Dira let go of that idealization when the Ruros brothers pranked her,” Jin said. "And later screamed how she hated men."

Link and Jin were there when all the Ruros brothers would do was scare her with Cucco feathers. They flown around her in a swirl until she screamed. Their smiles fell when they heard Dira’s hard breathing. Her face a shade of red, and her fingers curled until her knuckles were white. He later learned she had dug them hard until she left imprints in her palms, some broke the skin. She still has the telltale markings on her palms from that time.

The other odd thing was that she hung out with him and Jin. She demanded them to hang out with her and Keras, and they followed after them since.

The trip to Fado Lake wasn’t far, but it took time for them to get there. They lived near a large forest, and beyond that was Hyrule Plains. The ruins to the castle town that surrounded the castle decayed over the years since the royal family disappeared. Some lost hope that Princess Zelda was alive, but there were a few who kept to their prayers that she survived since her body was neve4 recovered. She was eleven when it happened, and Link was nine. He didn’t know what was happening at the time, but as he grew older, he heard about it from the adults.

He listened to Garik’s stories. The ones consisting of a legend that ran through the princess’s blood, and the nameless hero who saved her. There were murals of the hero, with his blond hair and green tunic, a sword in hand. The legendary sword that sat in the pedestal. Waiting for the hero to pull it free.

He listened to Garik’s stories so many times that he knew most of them. The hero who lived during a flood, and the other going through a mirror, and one where the hero met his shadow. Over the years, he started to think these were simple stories that Garik liked to tell. He was passionate, but they sounded strange. Like they weren’t real. Or they couldn’t be real.

Some of the adults said that Garik went mad when his siblings had died during the war. Including his wife who died by a sickness, taking their unborn son with her.

Link took the stories and told some kids about them, but he made it more like a game. And the kids would swing around wooden swords, saying they were the hero who saves the princess.

That was another thing. The Legendary Hero always saved the princess, but they never got together. The stories were so shrouded that no one knew if they were in love. He heard one story where they were both trapped by time. He liked that story, but he also liked the more darker ones.

The Hero who met his shadow, the embodiment of his pain. It made the hero seem more like a person. Who carried onward to do his purpose, but forced to comply to a fate that he didn’t choose for himself.

He felt a nudge and he looked at Jin.

“You okay?” he asked, “you had this strange expression on your face. Thinking too much?”

Link shrugged. “I wouldn’t want to have a burden placed on me. At least the type that pushes me to a sword." He frowned. "I don’t know how to fight with one.”

Jin laughed, and it was warm. One he heard many times, that sent his heart racing. It was nice to hear. “You should visit Vollon, he’ll train you.”

“I don’t know.” He still worked with the older men during their fishing trips, and sometimes he helped in the shops. Other than that, he was okay with not wielding a sword.

They followed the path past the tall trees and into the wide plains. As they walked in the the shade. Link looked off to the horses, they moved around each other, eating the tall grass. They usually go to Fado Lake when they’re thirsty, or leave for another area when the monsters appear.

As Link watched, he felt a pulse in his body that wasn't his heart. He stopped, staring at the horses. He let out a shaky breath before a sharp pain assaulted his mind. He groaned, his hands coming to the sides of his head, fingers digging into his scalp.

“Link? Link!” Jin was beside him, holding his arm. “Are you okay? What’s wrong?”

He didn’t know what was wrong. Flashes appeared in his head, images of a brown horse with a saddle. He stood beside her, smiling and petting her mane, giving her apples to eat from the long journey. She was always there for him whenever he was lonely. And survived countless battles. She survived it all, while he was bleeding and weak. His breath, shallow. She stayed with him until the last.

“Don’t leave me,” the words came out with all those images inside his head, many different variations, “Epona.”


	3. A Jewel Beneath The Surface

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Link is troubled by the unknown images he's having, he helps his friend to retrieve something from her past, and in turn, receives another memory of a girl who he was once engaged too.

Link sat on several large flat rocks with a smooth surface near the edge of Fado Lake. His knees are pressed to his chest, and his chin sat on top. Link observed Dira and Keras swimming in the lake. They swam to the middle, and dove into its depths, but every few seconds, they’d rise back up. Both talking with confliction mirroring each others expressions. Maybe they were discussing the reason Dira wanted to come to Fado Lake in the first place.

The warm wind blew strands of his blond hair to the side. He was preoccupied with his thoughts, with what happened out in Hyrule Plains. The splitting headache, and the sudden memory of some kind vanished right after they took place.

Jin told him he spoke a name through his ramblings, but they weren’t able to hear what he said. Link couldn’t remember either. All he knew was that there was a horse who had stayed with him throughout his travels. Comforting him through the pain, and keeping him company when he was lonely.

He had the urge look for her.

“Link.” Jin crawled onto the rocks and sat beside him, smiling with several red and purple berries in his hands. “Want some?”

“Are they poisonous?” Link asked dryly.

Jin gave him a wry look before plopping a berry into his mouth. “No, Link. They are not poisonous. I learned a lot from Tiria. She helped us figure which were poisonous berries and the ones that aren’t.” Jin gave him a pointed look. “I told you to take her classes.”

Link shrugged, his mind shrouded by memories and the present. “I would’ve, but I was busy.”

Jin rolled his eyes. “Yeah, you were completely busy stacking books for Eren, and later reading them until he found you surrounded by the books you were _supposed_ to label.”

“I thought it was fun,” Link said. He learned a bit more about Hyrule, and its surrounding people. Mostly the other inhabitants living in the various tribes, with their vast cultures. He would like to meet them, to see them with his own two eyes, and experience something else besides the same old thing.

“Are you okay?” Jin asked.

Link nodded, fiddling with his fingers. “I’m not sure what happened.” It was painful. His chest tightened, and he had the unbearable urge to scream. Except he couldn’t, all he felt was exhaustion once the memories began to fade. As if they never existed, but in a small way, remained, like a residuel he couldn’t rid.

Jin watched him, he spoke in a somber tone, “Hopefully something like that doesn’t happen any time soon.”

“I hope so too.”

Dira and Keras swam back over to them. Both women’s brows were pinched, and their eyes dark with annoyance. Dira made it to the edge of the water and stood up. Water dripped from her chain, and slid down her neck, across her collar bone and—  

“We need your help,” she said, threading her fingers through her short white hair.

“What do you need help with?” Link asked, looking off to the spot where he watched them dive into, but coming to the surface with nothing. They were looking for something specific.

“I lost something awhile ago and it’s at the bottom of the lake. It’s the reason why I wanted us to come here,” Dira explained, nudging Keras in the arm with her elbow, “we can’t reach it.”

“And why do you think we can?” Jin asked, frowning.

Dira narrowed a glare at him. “Because. You two worked for the fishermen—”

“Doesn’t mean they taught us how to hold our breath longer than a minute," Link interjected, frowning.

Dira slumped her shoulders, and all her energy seemed to seep away. “Please try and help me get it back.”

Link and Jin exchanged looks. They never heard Dira beg, nor look tired, she always held an energy that never seem to leave her. Without anymore urging. They stood, and jumped into the water. Link laughed when he came up for air, his ears twitching at Dira swearing at them. He and Jin swam to the spot where Dira and Keras were earlier. Sucking in a breath, they dove beneath the water’s surface. It was clear, but as he swam deeper, the water darkened.

To his annoyance, flashes of memories appeared before his eyes. They were thinner and weaker than the previous memories he experienced. These were simply himself swimming in the depths of water. He wore different types of blue and silver clothes that looked similar to scales and steel plated armor. The water wasn't heavy nor suffocating with it covering his thin build. It seemed to push him deeper into the water, the strength of himself inside the memory had a skill he never mastered. He reached out with his hand for a dim glinting object in the wet soil. What came free was a sparkling jewel with a thin silver rusted chain.

A hand wrapped around his arm and pulled him up. Another stronger memory appeared as he swam back to the surface. His body was light, and once he broke the surface. Instead of Fado Lake, he was in front of a young girl with light blue skin and scales covering her entire body. She was smiling at him, her eyes large and wonderous. She held a type of jewel in her hand, it was large and beautiful. He never seen anything like it before.

“We’re now engaged to be married once you take the Zora's artifact,” the young girl said, a giggle leaving her lips.

He was forced away from the memory and found Jin staring at him. Water droplets fell from his long black lashes. He wore a concerned look in his eyes.

“Are you okay?” he asked.

Link nodded, he looked down at his hand that was submerged in water. He let the sand wash away and reveal the jewel. It was a lot smaller than the jewel he seen in the vivid memory in the hands of a young Zora.

He heard of them. They lived far from the village, but the streams throughout Hyrule connected to their reservoir. They were able to go anywhere if there was water. Except, since Hyrule’s destruction, including the loss of the royal family. All tribes have stayed disconnected since. No one has seen a Zora in a long time, their features could be different. He heard they didn’t age like humans did. They had a longer life span, and were quite regal.

“Let’s give it back to Dira,” Jin says, his voice soft.

Link nods. He clutches the jewel, and they swim back toward the shore where Dira and Keras are waiting for them. Once they get onto the surface of the shore, Link walks over to Dira whose arms are crossed.

Anticipation is clear on her face, and he can even see worry between the crease of her brows. “Do you have it?” she asked.

Link smiled, and this made her smile. She was beautiful when there was a light in her eyes, a hope that basks her face in warmth. He handed her the jewel, and relief washes over her as she gently takes it from his hand.

“This is my sister’s,” she whispers, gliding a finger over the reddish jewel.

Link’s mouth parts, and his heart races. He heard about her growing up, he was there when she was buried. Dira was lonely after that, and during her time growing up. She rebelled. A sister who lost her older sister. He watched her fake her feelings, and sometimes she cried, and she took out her rage on others when she was overwhelmed by those lonely days.

“You all know,” Dira says, glancing at each of them before returning her eyes onto the jewel, “Nila died during The Ancient Scourge that happened several years ago. One of the many victims of Hyrule. I was angry at the world, that it took my sister from me. I was angry at myself for not being able to stop it. I threw the jewel into the water, and afterwards I regretted it. I would come here, trying to get it back. After awhile I gave up…” She looked up at Link, and her red eyes were rimmed with tears. “Thank you for getting it back for me.”

Link nodded, and he stepped forward, bringing her into his arms. She held him back, and her choked sobs made her shudder against his chest.

A soft splash made them all tense and look toward the sound.

The image of the young girl came Link’s mind. Smiling and warm, and when he had gone forward into time, she was older, more mature and regal like the princess she was. But now she had more of a responsibility to her Temple. Her smile was sad, and it reminded him of another girl with a sad smile, tears in her eyes that he couldn’t vanquish from his memory now that it had surfaced.

“A Zora?” Dira spoke before the others could, and she moved from Link’s arms, walking until her feet were submerged. She clasped the necklace around her neck and walked a bit more until her knees were in the water.

Link stayed still, watching the Zora flit throughout the water. She was young, beautiful with her blue and silver skin. Unlike the girl in his memory, this one was different. She had fear in her bright blue eyes, watching them peculiarly.

What were these memories? Were they truly his or someone else's?


	4. An Echo Between The Past And Future

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They met a Zora, but Link is having troubles with the memories that are forming, and when he becomes unresponsive, his friends try to help him.

Dira’s elation warmed her skin as she stared at the Zora. Flailing her arms, she called out to it, but the Zora moved back within the water, drawing ripples upon the surface. Dira didn’t let that stop her, and she ignored the protests coming from Link, Jin, and Keras, and dove into the water toward the retreating Zora.

“Great,” Jin said, “now what?”

“We go after her,” Keras said. She dove into the water and Link and Jin glanced at each other before following after her. Dira didn’t get as close to the Zora now that she hid amongst the thick vines hanging off the sides of the rocky surface near a waterfall. With a closer inspection, the Zora’s blue skin darkened in the water, and was lighter silver in the sun.

“Hi,” Dira says, sincere as she waved her hand, “we’re not going to hurt you.”

The Zora stared at her, but didn’t move away from the vines.

Link looked away, every time he blinked, the Zora would remind him of another. Yet he never met a Zora before. All he could remember were flashes of a young woman running towards her God and being eaten by it.

“Dira,” Jin warned, but she swam closer to the Zora.

The Zora opened her mouth and spoke soft and light, except her language was obscured.

“What?” Dira asked.

Link frowned, but Dira didn’t stop swimming until she noticed the Zora was about to move is when she finally did come to a stop in the water.

The Zora struggled for a moment, but her voice came through and the words were Hylian. “What are you?”

“I’m Sheikah,” Dira answered, before turning her body and pointing at her friends. “Keras is Gerudo, Link and Jin are Hylian. We live in Akyllan village. It’s not too far from here.”

The Zora glanced between them, but her eyes went back to Dira. “I’ve heard of you, the races amongst the land. I don’t know the village.”

“Of course. It’s not near any water, our fisherman go to lakes or even the ocean for resources.” Dira moved closer, the water rippling with her movements. “We’ve haven’t come across a Zora before, but we know where your Domain is.”

The Zora slowly left the wall covered vines. “Ekos. My name is Ekos.”

Dira laughs, and to Link, it’s genuine as she whispers, “She’s beautiful.” As Dira swims closer to Ekos, a sharp pain runs itself throughout Link’s body and he winces, gritting his teeth and tightening his eyes closed.

Flashes of memories that feel foreign as he stares at a young Zora in red and white designs and blue and silver regalia upon her slim form. The young Zora is warm in tone, and shy in her features. But tragedy followed him to her, and she was left trapped in a beast after it slaughtered her.

A wet hand brought him out of those painful thoughts and he snapped his head to the side where Jin now swam beside him. “Are you alright?”

Link nodded, breathing heavily. “I’m fine.” But he wasn’t sure if he was, and looked to Dira and the Zora, Ekos, drawing closer to each other.

“I’ll return,” Dira promised, “if you will.”

The Zora looked uncertain by the promise, but soon a smile formed upon her face and she nodded.

Keras was the first to turn, then Jin, and Link, and soon after, Dira, followed them. When they reached the shore. Link’s hands were wrinkled, and he was shivering from their long stay in the water. Jin and Keras grabbed the towels they had brought with them, and wrapped themselves in it before offering the others to Link and Dira.

Jin sat beside Link on the soft grass with the towels over their shoulders. Water dripped from Link’s blond strands, and slithered from his face to his jawline. But his gaze stayed on the water, and on the Zora that still watched them.

“I can’t believe it,” Dira said as she and Keras appeared from the trees behind them where they had dried off and dressed, “that we seen a real Zora.”

“It was dangerous,” Jin said, standing and reaching for his clothes lying several feet from Link. “Zora’s are dangerous to be around.”

“There was only one,” Dira said, shaking her head. “It wasn’t like she was going to attack us.”

“They are warriors.”

Dira scoffed. “So are we.”

Link broke his gaze from the Zora when she finally lowered herself into the water and disappeared from sight. He dried himself off while Dira stomped away back into the forest with Keras.

“I can’t believe her,” Jin said, pulling his shirt on.

Link looked at his clothes and began to pull them on. “She’s right, we haven’t seen a Zora before. Only heard stories thanks to Garik.”

“But they’re dangerous.” Jin held a small knife in his hand, and Link figured he had it when they entered the lake. He was careful, but it was unnecessary.

“She didn’t attack us,” Link reminded, pulling his shirt over his head. “Either way, we both know that we wouldn’t have let anything happen to Dira. Keras was there too, we were all cautious of what could’ve happened, but nothing did. And finally coming across a Zora is a bonus.” He stepped closer to Jin who put away the knife. “Just think of all the things we weren’t allowed to see in the world, and we finally got to witness a small part of it in our favorite place.”

Jin raised his head and smiled. “You’re right. It was interesting.”

They both headed into the forest where they caught sight of Dira and Keras waiting ahead of them. “More than interesting, miraculous,” Link said, “we didn’t die, and Dira got her necklace back.”

What bothered Link the most was how he felt about seeing the Zora in the first place. About the water that surrounded him and pulled him under. That made him feel invincible and welcomed. And yet the suffocating pain curled in his chest and throbbed on all sides of his head.

_Link._

His name spoken in two different voices, feminine in tone, and soft yet filled with sorrow. He knew he failed them, and he had to do what he had to at the time, but even his own destiny brought him to his knees. He wasted too much time and he wished to return to one moment, and another, but they were never the same.

“Hey,” Jin whispered, but Link knew his voice was louder by the time his feet came to a stand still in the middle of the woods. Jin’s hands were on his shoulders, and he could hear the voices of Dira and Keras mixing together until his mind stopped.

“What’s wrong with him?” Keras asked.

“I don’t know, we were talking, and then...he stopped responding to me,” Jin said, voice filled with worry.

“This is the second time this happened,” Dira spoke, taking Link’s left hand. “Let’s bring him to Tala.”

Jin twined Link’s right hand with his own, and they walked through the forest. Leading Link away from the lake, away from the memories that swallowed him, but he was still numb and empty of thought that even his lips wouldn’t move to speak a word. They returned to the village, and Link felt the eyes fall upon him as they walked through until they climbed the wooden steps of one of the houses that belonged to Tala, the village Healer.

“Tala,” Dira called.

An older woman with brown hair streaked with grey pulled to the back of her head turned at the sound of her name. Her green and blue eyes spotted them, but her gaze fell upon Link as she crossed the room to him. “What’s wrong with him?”

“We don’t know,” Keras answered, “that’s why we brought him here.”

Tala nodded and pointed toward a hall. “Bring him to the room over there. I’ll have to inspect him.”

“He wasn’t in any fights,” Jin told Tala, loosening his hand and breaking contact with Link as Dira and Keras led him down the hall. “He simply stopped responding to...us.”

“It’s okay,” Dira cooed, bringing Link into the small room with a lone bed in the middle near a square window. A white sheet divider sat on the side, including a desk with a ceramic basin, and a water jug on the floor. Dira sat Link down on the bed, keeping her hand intertwined with his.

“He didn’t hit his head, did he?” she asked Keras.

Keras stayed standing with her arms crossed over her chest. “No. He didn’t. This was before we arrived to Fado Lake. He had one episode—”

“Don’t call them that,” Dira said, cutting her off. “Nothing is wrong with him...he’s…” She frowned at Link who stared at the wooden floor, breathing evenly.

“We’re both worried for Link’s health, but since he hasn’t responded before and after means something. Right now, we should consider them episodes until we know for sure,” Keras said gently.

Dira nodded reluctantly.

Tala and Jin entered the room where Jin informed Tala that Link has been suffering from headaches since he woke up.

“Do you think it was an injury before today?” Dira asked Tala who held a small blue translucent jar in the shape of a scallop in her hand.

Tala shook her head. “He would’ve had symptoms beforehand, you said this happened twice?” she asked.

“Before we went to Fado Lake, and while we were leaving,” he told her.

“This jar has herbs in it that will help, but from what I can see and what you told me. He doesn’t have any physical injuries. This can be emotional or psychological. The concoction should help for a few days,” Tala passed the jar to Jin, “I want someone to watch over him and see if he’ll have anymore episodes in the next few hours or the following day.”

Jin nodded. “I’ll watch over him.”

Tala tilted Link’s head back and poured some of the liquid inside the jar between his lips. The taste was cool and sweet against his tongue. Once she was finished, she left the room while Dira and Jin helped Link to his feet. They followed Tala into the next room where she gave Jin three thin vials.

“Mix these within the jar and the concoction should last several days. Give them to him in the morning and at night. If these episodes persist, I do suggest an extra dose, but if he becomes unresponsive for a long period of time. Bring him back to me.”

Jin nodded, pocketing the vials, and leading Link from the home with Dira and Keras.

“I don’t like this,” Dira said, caressing Link’s knuckles. “He hasn’t said anything since we left Fado.”

“I know,” Keras whispered. “I know.”

“We’ll wait and see,” Jin said. But none of them sounded as reassuring in Link’s ears, they simply drew quiet.

They walked back to Link’s home where Dira and Keras left them. Jin helped him into the house where he set Link down in his nook area before going to the kitchen and making cups of tea. He also made a sandwich and brought it to Link who stayed still, staring at the bookshelf across from him.

“I’m here,” Jin whispers, taking Link’s hand. “I won’t leave you.”

Link blinked his eyes, but he did not hear Jin’s words. Instead his mind replayed a scene that was foreign to him. A scene that left him crippled in pain as a boy holding a sword bestowed upon him in his small woodland village. The world spun and he was in a place after she was taken from him. The water was ice cold and he slipped every time he tried moving along the iceberg in her domain, and Link called her name out.

“Ruto!”

But his voice split between two, a young boy with pain too much for a child to bear, and a young adult who was left in charge of a princess, but the softness of the Zora who returned to her home only to die to the beast she commanded.

His scream echoed when the memories returned, and what fate had stolen from the world. “Mipha!”

He had fallen to his knees in grief for both who he loved, the panic that made him fight back the tears and swing his sword. The frustration that he couldn’t do anything at the time of when they were outmatched. Friendship spiraled around him, and he recalled their smiles that was taken away. They all had a role to play, a responsibility woven in their destinies that were rewritten over and over again upon time itself.

“Link?” Jin’s voice grew in fear and shock when Link felt his body jerk forward and he landed on the floor. The cup of tea and the sandwich were silent in his ears when they landed before him. A pained gasp leaving his lips as he tried fighting back the harsh cutting memories, but he was pulled under once more before he could feel Jin’s hands on his arms.

What he witnessed next were foreign memories like the others, but this didn’t feel as familiar. They were new. Brand new memories that left a painful ache within his chest. His eyes opened, and the flash of lightning cascaded through the darkening sky as rain drenched the ground around him, soaking his clothes, and his hair slick against this face.

He heard a scream through the chaos and he looked for who called his name. Dira stood against a rock. She wore dark blue and black scaled armor that wrapped around her body with arm guards over her hands and a fish designed helmet covering her head. She held a long black bow and a silver quiver strapped to her back. She pulled at the string, and at the tip of the arrow glowed a faint light as Dira whispered to it, and the arrowhead became encased in thick sharp ice.

Link looked to where she was shooting, but all he could see was darkness, flashes of electricity, and ice.

“Link,” Jin whispered, his hand holding Link’s waist, keeping him close. “Stay done until they can get to us, and Keras can—”

“What?” he asked, and his voice was far away, but his eyes went to Keras who was in the center of the battle, swinging her dual scimitar at monsters forming from the shadows. She was dressed in red and browns, skin exposed and seared shut with new and old scars. The lightning danced around her as she spun and sliced through the creatures. Dark blood sank into the earth as she drew close. Dira flanked her, shooting any monster that tried attacking Keras without her knowing their presence.

Link tried moving, but Jin held him still. And he felt a sharp pain in his gut and looked down where he spotted dark red slithered along grass and dirt coming from beneath him.

_I’m bleeding._

Link blinked water from his eyes as his breath hitched. Jin pulled him up, and he winced, a pained groan leaving his lips, but Jin situated Link against his chest with his arms tightening around him.

“It’s okay. Keras is coming, she’ll heal you. She’ll heal you,” he whispered in a heavy mantra.

Link didn’t know what was happening, but he recognized one thing from the chaos around him. It was the thing he wouldn’t let go, and knew wouldn’t leave him even if he tried throwing it into the ocean, or burning it into melting steel. It would come back to him, because it was his, and only his to own, to wield, to control.

The sword.

The grip was blue and green, and long silver steel that pulsed with light that was covered in red and black blood. He had taken it from the pedestal, and never was he separated from its power that told him this is who he was.

But Link didn’t know, and he was weary, and he closed his eyes to the torment of his fate.


	5. Ingrained Memory

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Link is trying to spend time with his friends, but more memories collide with his present.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know I should be writing this a lot more since I'm outlining. It's still stuck at 47 chapters, and I'm hoping to finish the outline and try to combine some chapters. :) 
> 
> I hope you enjoy nonetheless.
> 
> Comments and/or Kudo's are appreciative.

He gasped, body shuddering as he sat up in the dim lit room, glancing everywhere for a speck of light. He heard the faintest sound and looked to see Jin lying beside him. He recognized where he was, they were lying in his nook area of his home.

How? How did he get here?

He recalled the spilled tea and sandwich, and the memories flooded back to him. He was trapped within his own body, trying his hardest to fight back, but he couldn’t.

“Link?” Jin murmured, blinking his eyes. “What’s wrong?”

“I’m fine,” he answered, hoping he sounded convincing.

Jin, however, sat up, yawning. “Do you want some tea?” he asked, flipping the blankets on his side and got up, stretching.

Link watched, blankly. “Sure.”

Jin walked into the kitchen, burned a lantern to give them light and started to make the tea.

Link stayed sitting on the bench in the nook, the soft pillows had kept his body from aching. But it didn’t help that he was confused and his forehead was throbbing.

“Are you sure you’re okay?” Jin asked, walking over to him with the finished cup of tea. He held it as he sat down, but Link couldn’t express the dream he experienced. Or even the loss of time he couldn’t explain.

He finally got a hold of himself and told Jin everything about what he had dreamed. Jin watched him, listening patiently.

“It was mine,” Link said, shock rippling through his body, reaching his hand out as if he could feel the hilt. “It was mine. The sword.”

“Link,” Jin said, calmly, “it was only a dream.”

He wanted to believe that, but it didn’t feel like a dream. It was real. He knew it was real, he wanted to find the sword, and his heart was pained by the thought of it. He dropped his hand and Jin passed him the cup of tea.

Link drank the tea slowly and looked to the window, the sun was rising and he realized it was morning. It felt like the dark was melting into the room, and wrapping around him. When he finished the tea, he rose and passed it to Jin who placed it into the sink.

“You scared us,” Jin said, leaning against the counter, “we weren’t sure what was happening. And when you fell,” he glanced toward the nook, “I didn’t know how to handle it besides pull you back up.”

Link nodded. “I’m sorry.”

A knock at the door made him suck in a breath, he glanced at Jin before he went to answer it. He was mildly surprised to see Keras and Dira. They were both staring at him as if they never seen him before. He figured it had to do with yesterday and he didn’t blame them.

“Lok is taking the younger kids,” Dira began, her voice smoothed out, “horseback riding.”

“And he said we can ride without babysitting,” Keras finished.

“Do you two want to come with us?” Dira asked, looking between Link and Jin.

Horseback riding. He was afraid of those memories assaulting him again if he ever got near a horse. The one that stayed with him was like a precious treasure he wasn’t ready to let go of.

Except he can’t live like this for too long. His mind, a shroud of memory of impossible things, can only hold so much. Even if the confusion numbed his body and made him question himself.

“We’ll go,” Link said as Jin joined them in the doorway.

“Are you sure?” Jin asked, frowning at him. “A lot happened, what if something else—”

“No,” Link said, “it’s fine, I’m fine. I just need something to take my mind off things.”

Jin was uncertain and nodded toward Keras and Dira. “Okay. We’ll be right out.” They both nodded as Jin closed the door while Link was heading upstairs. “I think this is a bad idea.”

“I don’t,” Link said, taking off his shirt and dropping it on the floor.

“Link,” Jin whispered, and Link can feel him standing behind him by the stairs while he rummaged through his drawer, “the incidents are persistent.”

Link turned around and faced Jin who was holding his discarded shirt. “That’s why I think I should do something active, find a way to combat what is happening to me. Maybe it’ll go away.” He pulled on his shirt and walked toward Jin, taking the shirt from his hands and throwing it on his bed. “It’ll be fun.”

His friend sighed. “Fine. But I don’t think this is the last of what is happening to you.”

And that’s why he has to find a way to get over his dreams. He and Jin descended the stairs and headed for the door. Jin pulled on his shirt over the thinner one he wore for bed and followed Link as he opened the door.

Dira and Keras were waiting at the bottom of the stairs, both of them glancing up at Jin and Link. “Come on, the others should already be heading out of the village,” Dira said, she and Keras began to walk toward the pathway into the village.

“I never ridden a horse before,” Link told Jin.

Jin chuckled. “Probably all that time at Lucent Lake instead of learning like you’re supposed too.”

Link wrinkled his nose. “That reminds me. I have to go fishing soon.”

“I have some expertise with horseback riding, while you were off breaking pots and pranking the adults,” Jin said.

“It was mandatory,” Link remarked, “Dira and Keras also know how to ride a horse.”

They looked toward the two women whom they followed through the village, they were talking to each other, and laughing. Conversations that weren’t for their ears, at least not all of it.

“They’re better than me,” Jin commented.

“I’d rather be fishing instead of horseback riding,” Link said, reminiscing of the silent moments when he held the rod and waited. The anticipation was clear on his mind and he hoped for one of the fish to bite. The adults were always betting on who would get the biggest fish. They were more talkative than he was, and he liked to listen to the constant gossip they’d have.

“Maybe you’ll learn something,” Jin said, wrapping an arm around Link’s neck, his body warm against his.

“Let’s hope so,” Link said.

As they were leaving Akyllan, Link couldn’t help but have small snippets of memory forming in his mind. Jin had pulled his arm away, and was talking more about Lok’s horses, but there was something on Link’s mind that wouldn’t let him focus.

_I can do better. I can do better. Let me have a day without this._

Dira and Keras jogged down the path while Jin grasped Link’s arm and pulled him along. They were heading for Hyrule Plains where Lok had brought four horses that were already fitted with saddles and reins. He was talking to a few of the younger kids about how to ride a horse, and what they’re supposed to do once the horse went faster and how to slow the horse down.

Dira pulled herself on one of the horses, holding the reins and galloping into the field basked in warm sunlight. Keras was next, her long red hair flowed behind her as she went after Dira.

Link spotted Paka amongst the children, making sure they didn’t run off. He noted Paka glancing up, and her entire demeanor shifted when she spotted Jin.

“Come on, Link, I can teach you how to do this,” Jin said, pulling Link toward the horse.

Link smiled nervously. “I don’t know about this.”

Jin chuckled. “Just climb on.”

Link flexed his fingers before pulling himself onto the saddle, his hands shaking as he gripped the reins. Jin was talking to him, but the memory formed in his head, something close to the horse that he knew and plagued him with memory he wasn’t sure if it was his. Beautiful and fast, the horse listened to him as he spoke to her, she always seemed to find him whenever he was in turmoil.

“Link!” Jin called, eyes wide as he raised his hand, but he was a blur as Link gripped the reins, pushed his feet into the horse and told it to run.

It was freedom. A sense of it filling his chest, making him smile as he let the memory overwhelm him. Link passed Dira and Keras, hearing their voices, but blocked it out at the feeling of Epona and the sun’s warmth.

He and the horse were close to Fado Lake, but he turned the horse around and they raced back towards the others. He slowed the horse’s pace until the horse trotted towards his friends who stared at him with astonishment, including Lok.

The man had greyish brown eyes, broad shoulders with sunkissed skin. He walked towards Link as the horse came to a stop, Jin, Dira, and Keras gaped at him. Even Paka had furrowed brows and wearing a frown.

“How did you do that?” Lok asked as Link slid off the horse.

“Do what?” Link asked, smiling at the kids following behind Lok. They were smiling and gaping at him, a sparkle of admiration in their eyes.

“I haven’t taught you,” Lok clarified, staring strangely at Link, “I’ve never seen you get on a horse nor attempt to ride one before. You must’ve truly learned from someone,” he turned towards Jin, Dira, and Keras.

“No,” Link said, shaking his head. “They never taught me, I’d rather fish.”

“Then how?” Lok asked, and his astonishment was twisting to disbelief.

Jin walked over to them, grabbing Link’s arm. “Beginner’s luck?” he said, nervously laughing as he pulled Link toward Dira and Keras.

_Link._

He blinked at the soft voice, glancing around but there was no one else looking at him.

_Link._

He looked to the sky and his eyes widened at the blacken clouds forming and blocked out the sun. He breathed hard, stopping Jin from walking, unable to look away from what he was seeing. Harsh rain fell upon the land, a blanket of it moving towards him as three bright lights broke through the darkness.

Red, blue, and green.

Those lights were women in the color of gold as they formed something within the sky. Bright light and what came of it was a gigantic golden triangle of pure energy. He recognized the shape, knew it well since it was all over Hyrule. It was the crest, the Triforce.

The three bright lights circled the Triforce while a light pushed back the clouds and what he saw was not the sun. It was a being of pure light, their body obscured as he stumbled back, sucking in a breath.

_Link, you are chosen, awaken from your slumbering form._

His right hand burned as he pushed Jin away. He fell to his knees, gasping for air as the lights faded away, and darkness enveloped his eyes. He landed on the grass, the smell of it reminding him of her.


	6. Fishing For Unpleasant Memories & Unbreakable Promises

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Link wakes up and he goes fishing with some of his friends, hoping to be more normal after everything that has happened, but that isn't going to happen anytime soon.

_The Hero is sleeping once more. The Hero is sleeping once more. The Hero is sleeping once more. The Hero is awakening once more. The Hero is awakening once more. The Hero is awake. The Hero is awake. He’s awake. Awake. Awake. Awake. The Hero is awake to free us._

He roamed upon green prairies, through the tangle of trees and silence with the occasional faint echoes of twinkling laughter. He trudged into bitter snow upon high peaks, and his feet sinking into hot sand with sweat on his brow. He sat against a tree, eating a sweet apple, gazing at the ruined Kingdom with an empty throne.

The voice sang against his ears, reminding him of his fortune, yet all he could think of was the next grueling days where he’d find himself within an old cavern, or damp stained dungeon crawling with enemies. There were signs of the Royal Family’s dark heritage, yet the secrets have been spoiled rotten in the dark crevice between grime and blood.

When would it end, he’d ask himself, massaging his sore muscles and cleaning his festering wounds. Fevers would be pushed to the side by tonics he’d drink, curled in the cold dark where only the silence to offer company. He did not want this, but he was always reminded of who he is and who he’ll become.

He shook his head, throat dry as he wiped away a tear. “I don’t want this.”

Link woke up in a soft bed in a silent room. He was comforted by the blankets that weren’t a thin cloak he’d wear on his journey. It took time for him to figure out where he was and who he was exactly. He sat up, rubbing the side of his head, and there was no sign of pain all over his body.

It took time for him to figure it out, but the timelines smoothed away, and he was able to see his own. He knew who he was and where he was, and what had happened. A great light shone from the blue sky and the Goddesses created the world, setting the pieces together until the last who held the Blade of Evil’s Bane offered it to the pedestal for the one who was meant to wield it.

Link squeezed his eyes, covering his face with his hands and letting out deep breaths to calm his frazzled nerves. Was he truly losing his mind to the rapid thoughts he’s been experiencing? Were they even his own to consider, but possibly someone else’s that found its way inside of him. It seemed right and wrong, a tangle of complicated decisions that he wasn’t ready for.

He pulled the blanket off of him and stood up, letting out a yawn and stretching his limbs. He wore simple shorts and a t-shirt and found the rest of his clothes on the chair at the end of the bed. He picked them up and changed, and once he pulled his shoes on, he left the room.

He recognized Tala who stood at the end of the room, she was slightly hidden by a white sheet and was speaking to someone. Link quietly moved toward the front door of the inn, and stepped outside. The village itself was warm with people and it felt more like nothing had changed since he woke up. He didn’t even know how long it’s been.

Link walked down the steps, but before he could head home and change his clothes. Dira came into his line of sight several feet away from him, her eyes widened and she was gaping at him before sprinting over to him.

“You’re awake,” she said, wrapping her arms around his shoulders. He gritted his teeth at how hard she was holding him as he let out a low grunt before she let go. “Why are you awake?” she gazed all over his body as if looking for some kind of anomaly.

“I’m not supposed too?” he asked, finding her inspection funny.

Her eyes met his as she gave a quick nod. “You were sleeping for several weeks, Link. We figured you were in some kind of coma, and Tala said you were, but I was a little skeptical, and now you’re awake. But Tala also said she wasn’t sure when you’d wake up. No one knew what had happened, you were fine and then you weren’t. We were worried.”

“Yeah,” Link said, scratching the back of his head, feeling awkward, “I’m sorry, I don’t know what happened either.”

She furrowed her brows, frowning. “You were saying people’s names in your dreams, and...none of us knew who you were talking too. It was all so jumbled up and confusing.”

He didn’t know either. He recalled the many types of dreams he wandered into while he slept, but they were hazy and incomplete. He could barely understand them.

“I’m sorry. The thing is, the dreams were…” and he decided to explain to her about what he seen. She led him toward a shop where they grabbed something to eat and sat down on some stones by a river in the village. The wind was brisk and cooled his body, relaxing him as he tried to explain everything he had dreamed of to her.

Dira nodded, listening to every word.

“They seem like memories,” he tells her, finishing the last of his food, “and they don’t seem like mine.” Saying that seemed impossible, and he could hardly believe it himself, yet it felt true to him. “But I’m also sure...that they’re mine as well. All twisted and intertwined together. I can’t seem to untangle them.”

“That’s troubling, Link,” Dira says, placing a hand on his own, “if you need more time in Tala’s inn, you can stay there, it would be better without any other type of pressure. Maybe it’ll all go away eventually.”

He wasn’t sure if they would. It was hard enough trying to remember his own past without thinking of others like his own, yet the ages were contradicting with his own, including the pain they went through, the happiness that filled their chests, and the final outcomes that led to another to live a life that seemed more like a cycle. An unending cycle that replayed over and over again.

There was even a few who were older that knew the truth and were cruelly disgusted with their fate. Some wished they could dissemble it completely, but others would longingly fade away, knowing they could do nothing about it.

He didn’t know why he felt it, nor why he had to deal with it all at the same time. A past that was not his own, yet tied with his nonetheless. He’s afraid, which he couldn’t confess to Dira, that he’d eventually understand those who lived before him, what they went through, and he’d curse the one who gave them this continuous path.

“You know what,” Dira said, helping Link to his feet and smiling, “I think we should get all those thoughts out of your head.”

He raised his brows, interested in her proposal. “And how are we going to do that?”

Dira beamed as she said, “Fishing!” She took his hand and dragged him off down the road. “My aunt, Aya, and Keras’s sister, Laret, are with Aloane, Una, Boros, Rikh, and Cil at Lucent Lake.”

Lucent Lake was on the opposite end of the village and sat around a set of trees, wide enough for them to fish with several shallow rivers leading off toward other lakes in Hyrule. This one was simply easy to use and there were a lot of fish to collect for certain seasons that would come and go. The village never suffered from any famines, and the people were happy with what they had.

“Where’s Keras?” he asked, knowing she and Dira were practically inseparable since childhood. Both of them opposite of each other, yet they never clashed in fights, and were quite civil to each other.

“Helping her parents in the shop,” Dira answered.

He notices several villagers staring at him, they must’ve heard what happened out in Hyrule Plains. Not like that kind of incident would go unnoticed by anyone, not when he had fallen unconscious.

“What about Jin?” he asked, surprised he hadn’t seen him yet. Although, Jin also had his fair share of friends, so it wasn’t fair that Link would expect him to always be at his side, also he seemed to gain the attention of a lot of people their age throughout the village. Maybe he was simply busy.

“Last I heard,” Dira said, “he went out hunting, but I’m not sure if he returned yet.”

Link hummed as they wandered through the narrow pathways from the village, Dira slowing her pace as they drew close to Lucent Lake as the strange smell of brine rose with each step they took until finally they caught sight of a group sitting on the pier’s edge.

“Hey,” Dira called, “guess who woke up!”

Most of them turned around, but Link caught sight of Jin sitting beside Rikh, holding his own fishing rod, his dark hair was pushed back and Jin seemed surprised to see him before his eyes went down to Dira’s hand clasped around Link’s wrist, his brows furrowed at the sight.

“Whoa,” Cil said in astonishment, a white haired man with bushy brows, a bit older than the rest of them, and a lot more proficient at hunting wild deer and boar than at fish. “Little Link, you’re awake.”

Link shook Dira’s hand from his wrist and frowned at the nickname. “I’m not little.”

“Thought you’d never wake,” Rikh said, leaning back on one bony arm, his white hair was also pushed back, spiky at the top, while a trimmed mustache sat around his mouth, he was thinner than the rest of them, and barely did much in the village besides offer terrible advice, and fish apparently. “I did tell Tala to give you a good ol’ fish concoction of mine, but she never took the bite.” He chuckled, turning back to his fishing rod.

Link wrinkled his nose. “That sounds disgusting.”

“When did you wake?” Una asked, smiling up at him, she sat beside Boro’s, and her hair was long and dark with brown skin, she seemed to have caught more fish than the others, and she was always found smiling and it was rare to see her cry.

“Not long ago,” Dira said, picking up two extra fishing rods that were beside Una’s basket and passing one to Link. “He walked out of Tala’s inn, and I saw him. I was so surprised. Making us worry and all.”

“I wasn’t that worried,” Boros’ said, a brute of a man with wide shoulders and thick black hair, he gave Link a smirk before turning back to the lake and the fish that weren’t going near his hook.

Link knelt down and looked through the bait box and picked one and pushed it onto his hook. “How long have you been here?” he asked, sitting beside Dira who was next to Una.

“Not too long,” Aloane said, her red hair was tied in a tight bun at the back of her head, a bead of sweat trailed down her brown skin as she pulled on her rod, reeling in the caught fish, before grinning at Boros who gave her a sarcastic sneer. “Come on, Boros, it’s been over two hours. Catch one or leave.”

“I’ll catch one,” he said, determined.

Laret leaned back to look at Dira, her red hair was cut unlike her younger sister’s, but she wore a lot more makeup. “Did you check in with Keras?”

Dira shrugged. “She seemed fine working the shop today. You know, Keras, she ain’t going to complain.”

Laret frowned. “It always feels wrong not working when you’ve worked for so long.”

Rikh scoffed, gaining a glare from Laret. “Come on, working is terrible, I’d rather be here, catching my fill and—”

“What?” Laret asked, a smirk rose to her lips, “and cook up those fish _concoctions_? Bah. Don’t lie, Rikh, all you’d do is sleep. I’m surprised you still haven’t owed back Vin the rent for your house.”

“House?” Dira asked in disbelief, “you call that a house. Looks more like a rats nest.”

Rikh’s face flushed. “Quit ganging up on me! Why aren’t you men helping me out?”

“With what?” Jin asked, somber toned, “they’re right, you haven’t given Vin anything since the time you last worked for him, which was almost a year ago.”

“Also,” Boros continued, “your house _is_ a rat’s nest, let’s not deny that.”

Link smiled quietly to himself. He liked this, the rambles of his friends and the anticipation of catching a fish in the late afternoon. This was a lot better than what he had to deal with before. The memories maybe under the surface, and some flickered before his eyes, events of the same thing he was doing now. They enjoyed lazy afternoons as much as he did, and he knew he wasn’t so different as they were. Strange versions of him, all living the same lives, taking the same steps.

He didn’t want this to end, but he knew that it would, because they all were whisked away from their home and forced on a journey to save their land, and its princess. Duty and courage kept them on their feet. Would he feel that same feeling one day?

“I was going to ask,” Boros said after Rikh had gone quiet, “about your sudden skill in horseback riding.”

Link clenched his teeth at the topic, his heart racing at the answer he’d have to give. He could scarcely believe it himself.

“I…” Link said, swallowing his nerves, “never rode a horse before.” Cil and Rikh both laughed at the same time, scaring off several hidden birds in the trees with their echo. Link tightened his hold on the fishing rod, staring at the hook and the fish that swam around it.

“Don’t lie,” Cil said, meeting Link’s eyes, “you had to have rode one. Lok was astonished, but he was convinced you lied.”

“I didn’t.”

“You had to have help to gain that much experience,” Rikh said, pulling on his rod once a fish caught his hook, he reeled it in, gritting his teeth and almost pushing Jin to the side against Aya.

Link shook his head, his hand loosening on the rod. “I...didn’t have any help.”

“Trust me,” Jin said, shoving Rikh to the side once he reeled in the fish, “I’ve hung out with Link all his life, and I never seen him once get onto a horse—”

“Except that one time,” Dira said, glancing back at him, “but we were all around the ages of ten, and since then, he has never tried to get on one, he’d rather be here.”

“With the bunch of you judgmental fools,” Jin finished.

Aya hummed, puzzled. “Must be beginners luck then.”

Link wanted to believe that, but he couldn’t, not when everything had come back to him. All the images, memories, voices, and experiences he knew was too strange to consider it beginners luck. This was more bizarre than he could anticipate. And in some way, he knew the answer, but he couldn’t speak it.

“Why did you collapse after?” Una asked, glancing at Link, “Lok said you fainted...and he figured you were coming down with something, but from what you’ve told us,” she addressed Dira before making eye contact with Link, “you aren’t sick with anything.”

Link shook his head. After the memories collided with his own reality, his own vision would go black, and his body would feel weak. He’d fall unconscious until an indeterminate time.

“I was thinking maybe it could be connected to The Ancient Scourge,” Una considered, pulling on her rod and reeling in the fish while the rest of the group had gone silent, mostly Aya and Dira.

Link sneaked a glance at Dira, who wore a placid expression as she stared at the greenish blue water as fish darted in and out of its depths. He knew the topic was sensitive all these years, and she wore the necklace she had thrown into Fado Lake that he and Jin retrieved. The necklace of their sister Nila who caught The Ancient Scourge and died.

A sickness that has been recorded for over centuries and centuries without a known cause. It comes for several years, kills crops, animals, and people alike, before vanishing from the land. It was horrendous.

“A lot of people died because of The Ancient Scourge,” Laret said, giving Una a disapproving glance, “and whatever is happening to Link is not because of that.”

Aloane nodded solemnly. “Even though many have died, it’s still a tragedy to consider. Memory is fickle thing.”

Link’s heart races and he clutches the front of his tunic. Dira notices and says his name, but he squeezes his eyes shut and when he opens them. He’s panting low, exhaustion heavy upon his sore shoulders where wounds have been cauterized, and his green clothes needed mending and soaked in water to rid the blood that stained the fabric.

There’s anger in his body, pushing him along the dirt path as the heat poured down upon him as he gripped the handle of his sword. It pulsed with a quiet voice that he ignored over the years. Not even its comforting tone could help him stop the raw pain he has felt for many years now that he’s older, grown in a body he once knew when he was young.

Words were never uttered from his lips, small grunts and groans were all that passed through them. But years have taught him to stay quiet with his pain, and he had pushed them down to ease anyone's worry for him. It would do nothing but make him worry for something that would happen again in another lifetime.

He made sure the direction was right when he came upon the farm house he had visited many times over the years. Of a ray of light that guided him to her doorstep, the one voice he wanted to hear besides the screaming of his enemies, and the yelps of fear from innocent folk.

His horse is nowhere in sight as he collapses to his knees onto the hard soil. His vision slowly fades, but he sees her red hair shining in the morning sun, her eyes wide in horror as she calls his name, the voice he would crawl for, the one he would return too once he knows he could put his sword away.

He falls to the ground as her scream fills his head.

“Link!”

He gasps, a hand on his arm with Dira saying his name, but he’s staring ahead of him with his heart racing inside his head. An innate instinct makes him get to his feet, almost staring at the people, unsure of who they are as he shakes his head.

“Malon!” And he turns and runs along the pier, ignoring the others who call his name. The memory continues as he sprints away, the voices fading.

“It’s okay,” she said, holding him in her arms, a tear running down her face, “Ingo is coming with my father, we’ll get you back into the farm—” The memory switches to Link lying in a soft bed that feels foreign to him, a cloth is placed on his fevered forehead, his clothes were removed, and there were bandages covering his body where the wounds were.

Link runs past villagers, all of them shocked at the sight of him but he could barely recall what their names are. All he could think of was the girl, the room, and everything he once knew was splintering apart. He runs to his house, up the stairs to the door where he pushed it open and slams it shut behind him.

He stumbles back until his back hits the door, gasping as he slides down to the floor. His entire body shaking with exertion, he curls his fingers in his dusty blond hair and squeezes his eyes shut as another memory floods his head.

The girl is sitting on a chair before him, cleaning a wound on his face, it stings and she gives a nervous laugh. Her eyes are red from crying. She’s sad, he knows she is. He once told her he would be careful and he’d return to her, but this probably wasn’t what she was talking about.

She moves her fingers along his blond hair and it feels so nice. She’s speaking, but he can barely focus on the words until it clears and he knows.

“Link, where is Epona? She wasn’t with you when you...arrived.”

Link tenses, spasms as he lets out a yell that startles her, but he’s crying, and the tears are running down his face. And she wraps her arms around him, bringing him to her chest, his fingers are digging into her shirt as he lets out harsh cries.

He feels her place a kiss to his damp forehead, comforting him with promises he wasn’t sure she’d keep.

“Once you’re well, we’ll go out and look for her,” she said, whispering into his hair, and he hears her own cries making their way into her throat.

Link gasps from his own tears as he’s pulled away from the memory. He wasn’t aware that he had climbed the steps to the second floor and flopped down onto his bed, wrapping his arms around his pillow, crying into the fabric.

“I’ll find you,” he whispers, gasping for more air as more tears trail from his face, “I’ll find you, Epona, I’ll find you, I promise, I’ll find you. Please, wait for me to find you, Epona.” He promised, he hoped he could keep it, the pain was too much without her, and sleep was slowly taking him under as his body relaxed.

“I promise, in any lifetime, in any era, I’ll find you.”


	7. Worried of a Friend's Fate

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jin goes to see Link to make sure he's alright, but Link is too erratic about Epona.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yo. This is Jin's pov. 
> 
> I hope you enjoy.
> 
> Comments and/or Kudo's are appreciative.

Jin stood in front of Link’s home the following day after his outburst at Lucent Lake. He was a little nervous, but after Dira, Una, and Aya tried to get him out of the house and eventually failed, Dira convinced him that Link would listen to him. He wasn’t so sure about that, but lately he was thinking that Link needed time alone. Maybe he was simply stressed, but Una’s comment about The Ancient Scourge found its way into his head. He couldn’t think so negatively.

Shaking it away, Jin climbed the steps to the front door and rapped his knuckles against the hard surface. He cleared his throat and said, “Link. Are you there? It’s me, Jin...it’s only me.”

He was afraid he might not get an answer until he heard the slightest sound of metal sliding loose and the knob turning. He tilted his head as the door opened, and Link glanced at him.

His eyes were red, and his face was a lot more pale than the sun kissed complexion he usually had. There was something more draining about his appearance as he ran his fingers through his coarse hair, walking away from the opened door as Jin stepped inside.

“Link,” Jin said, closing the door behind him, but was confused at the sight of a bag sitting on the table, it was full with pieces of clothing and wrapped food. “Link...Where are you going?”

“I have to find her,” Link said, his tone rough, either from crying or screaming like he was doing yesterday and the days before. His behavior has been strange of late, but this was worse than anything Jin would have thought was possible. “I have to find her.”

“What are you talking about?” Jin asked, carefully stepping closer to the bag while Link looked around for something near his nook.

“Epona,” Link gasped, going still before his shoulder shuddered as if whatever he was thinking of was too painful. It worried Jin to see him like this, and to know that his friend was about to walk out while spouting off words he wasn’t sure Link knew he understood himself.

“Link, that was a dream. Okay. You were dreaming, the stress is getting to you. I’ll ask Vin and my dad to let you off for a few—”

“No,” Link snapped, turning around, his brows pushed together as he glared at Jin, “this has nothing to do with them, I’m not stressed and it’s not a dream. It’s real,” he shook his head, hands shaking, “she’s real!”

He believed it. Jin could hear it in his strangled voice that Link knew whoever this person was to him is real, but how could it be? Link never left the village without others, and he never brought it up until a few days ago. Why would a dream be affecting him this much?

“Link,” Jin said carefully, stepping towards him, “it was a dream, she’s not real.”

“No,” he shook his head, “stop saying she’s not real. Please, Jin, stop saying that.” Link wiped away stray tears from his face. “She’s real. She’s real and I have to find her.” He seemed to snap out of his reverie as he moved back over to his pack, ignoring Jin altogether who felt the sharp pain in his chest.

He nodded, unsure of how he was supposed to say to Link while he headed upstairs. His mouth had gone dry, and his chest hurt. Jin turned on his heel and left Link’s house, he ran down the steps and sprinted through the village until he found Dira and Keras sitting on the steps of Keras’s parents shop.

“Hey,” he waved, knowing he looked wild by the worried looks upon their faces as they both stood, “I need your help.”

“Why? What’s happening?” Keras asked.

“Did you speak to Link?” Dira asked next, also as frantic as Jin.

Jin nodded, “I tried to talk him out of it, but he won’t let me. I think he is sick with something, he’s not thinking straight.”

“Jin, calm down, and explain what is happening,” Dira demanded.

He breathed, smoothing out his thoughts as he said, “Link is leaving Akyllan. He’s trying to find someone by the name of Epona.” The name left an odd taste in his mouth, but he didn’t want to focus on that at the moment.

Keras’s eyes widened as she looked over Jin’s head. “I think he’s on his way out.” She pointed, and Jin turned at the same time as Dira, and Link was walking by several people with a cloak, traveling shoes that he barely wore since he never left the village that much, tan colored pants, and a long sleeved shirt. His pack was pulled over his shoulders and he was striding toward the entrance to Akyllan.

Dira was the first to react as she rushed by Jin who joined her, while Keras also caught up to them. Dira called Link’s name, ignoring how loud and frantic she sounded as they sprinted by.

Link didn’t stop nor turn until he reached the front of the entrance and before he could step over the threshold, Dira grabbed his arm and tugged him back.

“Don’t go,” she pleaded, a raw sounding tone that left Jin still beside Keras as reality was settling in. Link was truly trying to leave the village, and he wasn’t bothering to look back. It pained Jin that it had to come to this because of Link’s dreams, that they would mean nothing to him.

“I have to find her,” Link said, in a resigned voice, unlike how he sounded back at his house. He was determined to leave, to find a ghost in the wide ruined world.

“She’s not real,” Dira said, her voice breaking, “please, Link, it was only a dream. Epona is not real. You’re not going to find her!”

Jin can feel the change in the air. Many people behind them were watching the scene, and Jin didn’t know what else to do. Dira was right, they were all right.

Link’s steady shoulders began to shake, his fingers curling at his sides as they heard him gasping for air. “I have to find her, I have to find her.” His own voice was broken, and Jin could see tears falling from his eyes as Dira turned him around and held him in her arms while he buried his face in her neck, shaking and crying.

Keras turned and gestured toward someone as she said, “Come help us take Link to Tala.”

A man and woman that Jin recognized as Zakka and Leya stepped past him and came to Dira’s side, they were speaking to Link before they took him and began to lead him away from the entrance. Zakka held his bag while Leya soothed him with her words.

Jin, Dira, and Keras slowly followed after them in silence while people parted away, children asked their parents what was happening, but most stared at Link. His condition, whatever it may be, was worsening. If it was forcing him to leave the village, what were they meant to do if he does eventually succeed?

Link has no prior skills in sword fighting, nor in hunting besides the minimal stuff he does with Zakka or Eirel. Lok has never trained him horseback riding. The world itself besides Akyllan and Fado Lake was all he knew. If he ever explored the world on his own, what if something were to happen to him? They couldn’t let that happen, Jin didn’t want it to happen.

A few days later, Link has stayed with Tala in a quarantined space to keep him from leaving the village. He still muttered Epona’s name in his sleep, and screamed it when he woke up. Crying frantically whenever he spoke with Tala, and she told them it was all he could focus on. He was barely coherent when trying to remember any of their names, or even the village he lived in. Which horrified, Jin, Dira, and Keras.

Jin sat in the waiting room of the inn whenever his parents didn’t need him, but other than that, he skipped out on any other duties. He wanted to make sure that Link was okay. Tala told him it was too early to let him in the room, not when Link was agitated. It was all he could do for him at the moment, hoping that he’d get better. Even if Tala said Link suffered from no physical sickness, and it could be related psychologically. The memories could be an emotional trauma of when Link lost his parents and it was now resurfacing as an adult.

“Time will tell,” she said, before moving onto her next patient.

One particular evening when Dira and Keras joined him, they brought berries they had picked that afternoon and shared it with him. As they waited, a woman wandered into the inn, there was something studious about her, some kind of knowledge poured off her, as if her eyes could see and understand more than any of them ever could.

Of course it was probably because she was Impa, the village Sheikah leader who had let many Hyrulean’s to accommodate the village during The Ancient Scourge. Impa was revered by many, using her wisdom and patience to conduct many organizations, and to sustain the village.

Tala bowed before her as Impa stepped away from the door. “I didn’t know you were going to come here, I hope everything is okay.”

Impa smiled, her long white hair was aged and looked more like coarse pieces of string as it was pulled back. Her hands were displayed in front of her, her back straight, and her chin tilted up. “Everything is fine, Tala. I’m here for someone else besides myself.”

Tala’s face flushed, “I see. Who are you looking for?”

“Link,” Impa said.

Jin, Dira, and Keras were as shocked as Tala who glanced toward the hallway that led to the room where Link was in. Why did Impa of all people want to see Link? Was it because of how he was behaving for the last several days? Jin didn’t think it was that troubling for the village leader to make an appearance.

“Why do you want to see him?” Dira interrupted as she stood from the chair. Both Jin and Keras were shocked by her abrupt question that it was too late to pull her back.

Impa turned to her, her face serene as she looked at Dira. “Because, Link speaks of the Legendary Hero’s horse.” Jin blinked, taken back by what she said and what she said next. “His horse is named Epona. Like the Legendary Hero who reveals himself once a great evil appears, so does his horse, Epona, and eventually they will find each other.”

“No,” Keras said, shaking her head, “you can’t be serious?”

“I am,” Impa said.

Any words that Jin would’ve liked to say would not leave his lips. Confusion stopped his thoughts, and he had the sudden urge to disagree with Impa like his friends were currently doing.

Tala had gone still, but came out of her shock before dropping a pen she was holding and heading for the hallway. Jin could hear Tala’s hushed voice before she came running back into the foyer, her eyes wide, pointing down the hall.

“He’s...He’s gone.”

“What?” Keras was already heading down the hall, while Dira glared at Tala. “Your inn is supposed to be secure, how could you let him escape?”

“He went through the ceiling somehow,” Tala said, almost on the verge of crying.

Impa was patient throughout the entire chaos, but there was a hint if disappointment on her face.

Keras returned to the room, “We can probably catch up to him,” she said, Dira following after her through the door.

Jin stayed where he was standing. He was trying to process everything that was happening, and mostly what Impa had said and implied.

The Legendary Hero. Garik had told many stories about him, and Jin ignored them as time went on and other things had distracted him from those silly stories. But now, they returned, and he wondered what if he had listened and learned about this Legendary Hero. What he did know and what most in Akyllan already knew about him was that the Legendary Hero had saved Hyrule many times in different eras with different ages. He showed himself in similar green garb, wielding a sword, riding a horse, and saving a princess of the Kingdom.

Now that Jin thought about it, there was no Princess who sat on the present Hyrulean throne, and no hero had surfaced in this lifetime, and the darkness, Jin figured that the darkness came in the form of The Ancient Scourge. The plague that surfaced without known reason and killed many in its wake.

The thing that bothered Jin the most as he walked outside, the one thing that ran through his head once Impa had asked for Link, and when she told them who the identity of Epona was. The pieces had collided, but there was one missing, and it was a crucial piece in this particular story, at least in this era it was.

“Where was their hero?”


	8. Escape to Lost Skills

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Link escapes Akyllan and meets a man who gives him comfort about the things Link believes in, even when his own friends don't.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yo. :D Okay. I said the OC might have shorter chapters, but Jin's chapter was 2k, and I'm not sure how long Link's or anyone else's chapters are going to be. :/ 
> 
> I hope you enjoy.
> 
> Comments and/or Kudo's are appreciative.

Link stumbled down the stone walkway while holding a pair of brown boots he plucked from a stall. A dark blue cloak was pulled around his neck, a sloppy knot keeping it intact. He had to get away from Akyllan, even without his supplies, he had to do something besides being locked in one of Tala’s rooms. 

He spots Cil and Boros stopping near the entrance, both of them realizing where he’s going, but unsure of what they’re meant to do. He knew that the village must know what’s happening, his own outbursts gained him more odd looks than the usual. It wasn’t going to stop him. 

Link almost fell as he pulled on the boots, grabbed a sturdy stick leaned against a wooden fence, it was smooth with a rounded top and he figured it was a walking stick or something to herd the sheep with. He shoved it into the ground as he ran, and pushed himself up into the air. A basic maneuver to get him higher since both Cil and Boros were taller and bulkier than him, and his feet landed on Boros’ shoulders, hearing the clipped grunt from the man as he dropped the stick and shoved himself off where he landed on the ground. He didn’t look back as he sprinted away, they yelled his name, but all he could see was the entrance. 

Link stepped past the threshold, his heart racing inside his chest while his thoughts push him forward. He doesn’t stop running until he veers to the far right, disappearing into the tangle of trees where he almost trips over a group of roots, while branches hit him in the face, leaving thin scratches on his face and hands, and he managed to scare off several boars. Slowing his pace, Link kneels down into some prickling bushes with soft leaves that hide his blond hair. 

He calms himself down until his name is carried on the wind. Going still, the sound grows louder and soon the earth begins to thump and he knows that some of the villagers are on horses. He crawls through another set of bushes and lies down on his stomach, looking out to Hyrule Plains where he spots Jin, Dira, and Keras talking with a few of the older men and women, all of them on horses as they figure out which way he went. 

He watches them as they leave the area, and Link stays in the bushes as long as he can until he knows for sure they aren’t returning. He stays low as he moves through the trees, along a hill and down a path that leads him into another thick forest. He mostly spends his time listening to the wind, and the thump of the earth in case anyone is drawing closer. 

He wasn’t exactly a hunter like most were in the village, but he learned a bit from Zakka and Leya who were soldiers and hunters, including Boros who gave him a bit of instructions that he could barely remember about skinning animals, and Cil told him where to kill one so he didn’t ruin the meat. Una gave him tips about the flora and fauna. What to eat and what not to eat while he was out in the wilds. Including what not to touch or smell. 

It barely came back to him now that he was alone with no weapon. All he thought about when he stacked his bed against the wall and broke through the ceiling. It wasn’t as reinforced as the walls or floors, and a bit of the wood was matte from a recent light rain, it was easier to crawl through without making too much noise. 

He wouldn’t deny that there was a small bit of guilt easing into his chest about running from his friends. He knew they were trying to help him, but they were also holding him back. The dreams were too chaotic, they forced him to run, spoke to him about Epona in a constant rhythm that made him lose control of his limbs. He needed to do this, with or without them. 

Link traveled through the forests until finally he came upon a clearing, including a well used road leading toward a town. Arching his brows in surprise, he never truly left Akyllan, but he read maps with Jin and Dira while Keras explained to them about the surrounding towns.

This one was one of the closest to Akyllan. Probably a forty-five minutes away, which gave Link an estimate of how long he’s been wandering through the forest, including an indication that his friends have already come to this particular town, and they weren’t going to return now that they have.

Penrith. A small town with a few buildings, a wide tent looking thing with horses on the side in a stable, a few people lingered around it, while a group were talking over a fire pit with cooked fish and vegetables on a stick in the ground.

Link slowed his pace, staring with hunger, he placed a hand on his stomach when he felt it grumble before moving onward. He goes toward the bright red tent with wooden poles and looks inside. A woman and a man are sitting around a table, both eating soup and crackers with a cup of tea beside them, both were obviously travelers by the set of equipment stuck to their arms and the full bags sitting on the floor.

He was about to walk in when a sharp whistle stops him and he turns toward a man leaning his elbow on the desk, his dark brow arched, staring at Link. His face warmed by the hot sun, while his free hand holds a cup of water, finger tapping against the side.

“You got rupees?” he asked.

“Uh, no,” he said, touching his pant pockets and frowned. He left everything back at Akyllan, and there was no way he was going back for any of it.

“No rupees, no bed,” the man said, glancing away from him. 

Disappointed, Link wanders away from the tent and marvels over the buildings with chipped paint, and the smell of fresh bread and cooked meat. A woman with long brown hair and dark skin was sweeping the front steps of her shop and looked at him, waving her hand at him, but he shook his head and all of her anticipation deflated. 

Maybe it was a bad thing to come through a town with no rupees. He was exhausted, hungry and thirsty. He found a place in the shade of a building and laid down in the soft grass, letting out a yawn and gazing at the passing clouds. It seemed the moment he closed his eyes and fell into a deep slumber, he opened his eyes into another world. He climbed onto a horse under the noonday sun, his clothes have been cleaned and mended, while his sword was sharpened, and he was given a new bow and arrows to replace the ones he lost. 

The woman, Malon, was already on her own horse and looked back at him and said, “We’ll find Epona sooner or later.” She gripped her reins. “She couldn’t have gotten far.”

He says nothing, staring at Malon and her sad yet hopeful smile. She was beautiful, and he was grateful for her help. Link joined her on the road, leaving the farm behind. Malon asking him to point where he last saw Epona, they’ll search around and seek out her trail. Link’s sword pulsed, but he ignored the urgent voice coming from it. 

Link blinks his eyes open, his dream disturbed by the sudden prodding of something against his ribs. He furrows his brows, turning his head to the edge of a brown stick coming from a man hovering a foot from him. He looks curious of why Link is lying in the grass, and he notices the sky has yellowed with an orange undertone, barely engulfed by the night. 

“What are you doing there, boy?” the man asked in a drawl. He had brown skin with amber eyes, his hair was a dark shade of red. He was a lot taller than Link who had stood from the flattened grass he was lying on, and wore a red scarf around his neck, blue, brown and black light armour and hunter garb. He had a sword on his back, including a black and silver bow, a full quiver of arrows. 

Link wouldn’t deny, but this man was beautiful and wore a stoic expression while looking down at him, waiting for his reply.

“I didn’t have any rupees for the bed,” Link explained, frowning, “so I figured I lie here until I woke up.” He shrugged, wondering why it even mattered what he did. He was leaving Penrith after this. 

“Daze,” the man introduced, giving Link his hand to shake. “Are you hungry?” 

Link gave him an awkward smile. “Yeah, oh, my name’s Link.” 

Daze nodded, and led him down the road toward one of the firepits. Link didn’t look at the man standing in the booth to the tent when he sat down on a small wooden stool. The man Daze had taken out pieces of caught fish and stuck a stick through it and set them down before the fire. He was quite practiced with the method, while Link wasn’t sure how to do that exactly, he never went on camping trips outside of Akyllan either. 

He didn’t even know why this idea on leaving Akyllan even warranted besides an insistent need to leave. He had no prior knowledge of the outside world, and even if he pretended to know how to wield a sword, it didn’t mean he was capable of killing. 

“What are you doing without any armour or weapons?” Daze asked, glancing at Link’s lack of equipment. He knew in his eyes he simply looked like a villager and not some kind of traveler or soldier. 

Link squeezed his eyes shut at the sudden image of Epona. He knew the horses shade of color, felt the soft mane, and smiled when he fed her an apple. He cared for her and she had done the same. In all their journeys, they stayed with each other. It felt wrong being away for this long. 

Link slowly opened his eyes, staring at the fire and the cooked fish His world slowed at the thought of her. “I’m looking for my horse,” he told the man.

Daze chuckled at his answer as he turned their fish over so the other side could cook. “I’m doing the same.”

“Where did you lose your horse?” Link asked, unsure of why he was asking while his mind kept going back to that moment when he lost Epona. The feeling of it eating himself up inside. 

Daze hummed, he stayed quiet and Link was unsure if he was going to answer until he said, “In a fight.” That wasn’t what Link was expecting to hear, but Daze sounded revered of whatever memory had flooded back to him, there was pride in his voice, in his eyes that reflected the fire. “I’m hoping to relocate my horse, so I can have a proper rematch with my steed.”

Link smiled, enjoying the raspy tone and the pride coming from the man, but his own memories flickered in and out of pain and happiness that he knew wasn’t his own. “I never…” Link swallowed, and breathing evenly as he smiled, “owned a horse in my life, but I can’t get this one horse out of my head. As if I know she exists besides the dreams I’ve been having, and it’s disrupted a lot of my daily life in the past few days. I didn’t know what else I was supposed to do but go out and find her. I need to find Epona.” 

Daze raised his head at the name that leaves Link’s lips, and he stares at Link, before a smile pulls taut on his face “I hope you find her. It’s beautiful when horses are on the same battlefield together.” He picks up the stick and passes it to Link, making eye contact with him. “Maybe one day we can race.”

Link takes the offered cooked fish, unsure of the proposal. “Maybe. One day.”

By the time they finish, the night has barely crested the horizon, and Daze had taken out his bow and arrows and brought Link toward a shooting range near the edge of Penrith. 

“You shouldn’t be wandering by yourself without any prior skills,” Daze had said, coaxing Link to stand beside him as he teaches him how to hold the bow, including how to hold the arrow and the string, when to pull, and when to let go. He was careful with his instructions, his voice next to Link’s ear, his fingers warm on his own. 

However, Link was still stuck between two worlds. Coming in and out of the other who already knew how to pull back an arrow, to hold a bow, who was quite precise in his aim. Many flickered in and out as Daze taught him what to do until he stepped away. 

It’s more like someone inhabited his body, took control of himself, and used the bow and arrow exactly the way Daze had taught him. The arrow flew, barely hitting the mark, Daze congratulated him as he passed him another arrow. 

Link was quiet as he took the arrow, pulled back the string, and fired. With each hit, the arrow grew close to the bullseye, and as an hour drew by, Link was no longer focused on the target that he had mastered, and was now concentrating on the apples Daze was throwing into the air. 

Daze laughed, enjoying himself while Link pulls back the last arrow and Daze throws the last apple high into the air. The darkness obscuring it, but he raised the bow, keeping the apple in sight, and releasing the arrow, hitting it before it could descend. He lowers the weapon as Daze strides over to him, a bright smile on the man’s face. 

“You’re a prodigy,” he states.

Link shrugs, staring down at the black and silver bow. “I never used one before...but practice usually helps.”

“And it usually takes days, weeks or even months for one to master it so well,” Daze says, placing a hand on Link’s shoulder, “you mastered it right away, without fault. Your instructors back at home must be proud of you. I’m surprised you never wielded a weapon. Although leaving your village is unwise for someone who has never trained properly.” Link passed him the bow and Daze inspected it. “I’m sure if you focused on your training for a week, you’ll become a master in no time. At least gain the right skills to protect yourselves from enemies, they scour throughout the land, and they won’t hesitate to attack.”

Link nodded, feeling foolish that he bothered to leave his village without the right procedures. He should’ve thought about this with a clear mind than the one that clouded his judgement. 

“Thanks, Daze, I’m glad I met you,” Link said, knowing it was genuine. Out of anyone he would’ve met, he never thought he’d come across someone like Daze who didn’t overly judge him for his rash decisions. 

Daze nodded, he looked down at the bow and seemed to think before passing it to Link. “Take it.”

Link blinked, his mouth parting as he held the bow. “Are you sure? Don’t you need it?”

“I have a sword, and I’m sure I can get another bow and a set of quivers at a shop on my travels. But I think your quick display of skills earned a prize. I want you to head back to your village, gather what you need for your quest, and set out correctly.” Daze gave him a pointed look. “A man like yourself is unlike most, someone with your skills are rare. Maybe a few centuries even.”

Link chuckled. “Sounds more like an exaggeration.”

“Maybe it is, but once I was like you as a youth, I trained as fast as I could, my own teachers were surprised by my determination, and if you keep at it, you’ll surprise others too.”

Link nodded, gripping the bow and thanking Daze for the lessons, including his encouragement. 

“Link!” He turned at the sound of his name, and he and Daze spotted a group of Akyllan riders coming toward him, and he recognized most of them as his friends. 

Dira, with her sheared white hair, slipped from her horse and sprinted towards him. She wrapped her arms around his neck, her body pressed into his. “We were worried about you, Link!”

“I’m...sorry,” he said, noticing Jin and Keras were on the horses, both of them staring, but there was something peculiar about the way Keras was looking at Daze. 

Dira pulled back, her worry changed into rage. Which wasn’t new to him or anyone else, he saw the expected reactions from the others as her voice raised. “How could you do that, Link? Run off and leave us like that? Don’t you think about how we feel?” 

“I said I was sorry,” he said, straightening, but knew his height and strength and new found skill wasn’t going to hinder Dira’s capabilities of questioning him, and making him feel guilty for his actions. 

Before Dira could continue with her rant, Daze interrupted by tapping Link’s shoulder. Dira glanced at him, her anger still flaring in her eyes, but there was something similar to Keras’s reaction. Link was too distracted to wonder what it was.

“I hope we meet up soon,” Daze said, smiling down at Link, “and we’ll race once you find your horse.” 

Link’s chest filled with hope and gratitude. All his friends told him Epona did not exist, and he had the urge to tell them even with his own doubts, that she was real. And now he met a man who believed him, even with the least knowledge of who Link was, it felt nice to be understood. 

“It’s a promise, one day we’ll meet again with our horses.” He waved as Daze walked away, and wondered while Dira dragged him back toward his friends whom were ready to return him to Tala’s inn in Akyllan village if Link would ever see the man again. And why, in the splinter of all his memories and thoughts he went through, did the man seem oddly familiar. 


	9. A Harrowing Revelation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Link is taken back to Tala's inn and Impa visits him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay. This is a lot shorter than Link's usual chapters, but it's alright. :)
> 
> I hope you enjoy.
> 
> Comments and/or Kudo's are appreciative.

There was no sugarcoating how angry his friends were, he walked in silence, holding the bow Daze gave him on their way back to Akyllan. Even when he tried going back to his house, Cil grabbed his arm and yanked him toward Tala’s inn. The roads to her inn were empty of people, but he caught sight of several who stood on the porches and doorways of their homes, watching him as if he were some kind of committed criminal who escaped his cell.

At least that’s how he felt once he stepped in front of Tala who stared at him, and there was something strange on her face, he caught sight of fear and reverence that wasn’t there before. He knew when he was erratic, the dreams coming in and out, his mind not able to stay in the present without fighting back the pain he recalled, Tala was patient throughout the entire experience of calming him down. 

Something changed, but he couldn’t ask her any questions as Boros led him down the hall, but to another room. He even bothered to inform Link that the roof was now reinforced, and he took the bow Daze had given him. Link said nothing as he sat down on the bed, this one comfy and soft like the last. 

Dira walked in while Boros stayed by the door. “Give me your shoes,” she said, pointing at the boots he stole. 

Link sighed and took them off, including the cloak, and passed them to her. She said nothing as she and Boros left the room. Link stared at the door while listening to the locks set in place. He laid down on the bed, his arms behind his head, and instead of staring at a bright blue sky and puffy clouds, he stared at a white ceiling. 

He didn’t mean to upset his friends, but his actions were inexcusable and he let their tempers and worry mix together. In a few days, maybe things will go back to normal. Tala will check him over, see that his behavior was fine, he had no other episodes since leaving Akyllan, at least none that Daze seemed to notice while he spoke to him. 

They lessened, and that gave him hope he can hide it from the others. 

Link closed his eyes and fell asleep. He was not plagued by any terrible dreams of a place he didn’t know, nor of the woman with red hair. A knock at the door woke him up, and he blinked a few times, rubbing his eyes and looking to see a woman in white hair standing in the doorway. He knew her, and rarely seen her wandering the village. She was the Sheikah leader, the one who graciously let others into the Sheikah village during The Ancient Scourge. 

Impa. 

Link sat up, straightening his back as she sat down at the edge of the bed. She left the door open, but he was more focused on her serene expression upon him. 

“Link,” she said, “I know your confusion and your pain well.”

That wasn’t what he expected to hear coming from her. “What?”

“The memories,” she clarified, and he opened his mouth, but she continued, “you no longer need to feel isolated from them, nor angry when experiencing them. You’re frightened. That is true from your behavior of late, and why your friends wanted you to stay with Tala. It was right for you to not venture out while dealing with the affliction. It’s better if you let it settle in your mind, accept it for what it is, and eventually, those memories will fade.”

He was confused. Why was she talking to him as if she knew what he saw in his mind, in his dreams, what tormented him and pushed him to run from the village? Wasn’t this dangerous?

“I’m hoping to ease your thoughts and the questions you have,” she said, “there is a lot to explain and I’m glad they returned with you, and if you had wandered away from the village, you might’ve died in the process.” 

Link swallowed hard, his fingers twining together. He knew she was right, that he would’ve died without the proper training. He never meant to leave the village before this all began. He was happy staying in Akyllan with his friends. Spending his days there, but those images, those desires, they ruined his hopes. 

Impa crossed her hands over the other in her lap. “I’m a reincarnation of Princess Zelda’s handmaiden,” she said, as calmly as anyone who could something like that without sounding insane, but he didn’t find it as farfetched. “My family, the Sheikah tribe, have watched over the Royal Family for centuries, and their dark secrets. In this era, the Royal Family perished over a decade ago, and the princess vanished. I believe she is still alive, and you know this as well.” 

He didn’t think about it until now. She was sure he felt this, and he was sure she was right. There was a small bit of hope inside of him that the princess was still alive. He was too preoccupied with other things to think about her, and of the Royal Family. 

Impa glowed with hope as she said, “The memories you are experiencing is the ascension of the Legendary Hero. They are to help you along the way to your destiny, so you can accept what will come.” Link opened his mouth, but no words left him, his eyes widened at what she said and he couldn’t find a way to deny it. “You are that Legendary Hero, Link.”

His mind had gone blank, and words wouldn’t meet his shock. The memories didn’t come to him during her entire explanation. What he was feeling was what they all had felt once when they learned the truth. Some didn’t know, while a few were told. A flood of pain and regret filled his chest, a pain that made him groan and a flicker of worry crossed Impa’s face, but Link was already shaking his head. 

“No. You’re wrong.” He shook his head, his fingers curled into the front of his shirt. “Those are dreams, constant terrible dreams, they mean nothing.” 

“Epona,” Impa says, stopping Link as he stares at her, shocked at hearing her name, “is the Legendary Hero’s horse. Epona is reincarnated along with the Hero’s spirit. They belong together, even if time separates you from yourself, you always end up finding her.”

Was it true? He knew it was, an urge to hold onto that truth and cup it in his hands. Another part of him pushed it away, denying it entirely. A dream was a dream. Nothing more. 

“It’s a story,” he told her, “a legend, a myth—”

“And all stories have a semblance of truth,” she countered back, her tone firm and even, “the stories of the Hero have faded in and out of time itself throughout the centuries, but they have stayed in tact, hidden within those same stories, until the world is ready.”

Ready for what?

“The Hero may have faded from time,” she continued, “but he still resides to this land, a place he strives to protect, and it seems the Hero is ready to relive it.” 

Impa sounded sure of herself, proud even, and almost like Link was going to thank her for it. Except Link couldn’t, the expectation of what she was saying instilled in him and forced him to recall the pain of others who lived like this. A few were sore from battle, from long travels, a few were tired and wanted to sleep, and waking always hurt. Hate wasn’t new, but as years went on, and he aged and became bitter. 

Link could barely ignore their suffocating feelings as his chest tightened, and he couldn’t breathe. Impa rose from the bed, taken back by the reaction before calling Tala who raced into the room. 

She soothed him, but he wasn’t able to be consoled before she administered a sedative that forced him to calm down. Even how much he tried to fight it. Tala laid him down on the bed, while Impa stood in the doorway. Her expression solemn before disappearing down the hall.

Link’s eyes fluttered and he let the sedative take hold of him, slipping him into a long needed sleep, but he did say her name. 

Epona.


	10. A Long Dead Past With Dead Lovers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jin, Dira, and Keras broke into Impa's home to find her records book to seek out answers to who Link truly is.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another Jin chapter. :D 
> 
> I hope you enjoy.
> 
> Comments and/or Kudo's are appreciative.

“I found them,” Dira says, alerting Jin and Keras who were standing by the window they crawled through to get into the room. She held a leather book with the word RECORDS inscribed on the front and quietly placed it down on the desk, opening it up.

Jin was hesitant about the idea of sneaking into Impa’s home while she was out, but Dira wanted to know more about what she had said about Link. He was also curious, and found himself watching their backs when Keras got the window open. The front door would be too obvious, and it was noticeable if anyone spotted them. They didn’t want anyone to find out what they were doing.

Jin and Keras stand on either side of Dira who is focused on the pages she’s skimming. They find pages with old pictures, yellowed, and burned on the edges, some were destroyed to the point they couldn’t see what the picture consisted of. Most of them were of Hyrule castle, a young princess with the King and Queen. A young Impa standing with a group of people they figured were her family. She wore similar tight fitting clothes, a mask covering her face, and her white hair was tied to the back of her head. There were more of Impa as she grew over the years, age setting in, and soon the people in the pictures around her were diminishing.

It was hard to see how many had faded from the pictures, leaving herself, old and less determination in her eyes. The fire burned out, and she was standing in the now established Akyllan Village. The next few pictures of her were when she was a young adult and instead of her usual Shekiah clothing, Impa stood on the side of the Royal Guard, including the Family.

“She was highly respected,” Dira said, picking up the picture. “Kakariko Village burned around the same time the Royal Family were murdered. She and the others had to move to another location, and they renamed the village, unable to give it the name of their ancestors.” Dira set the picture back down and flipped page.

Oddly, there were pictures of a dark forest, even in the daylight where the picture had been taken, it seemed ominous.

Jin picked it up and turned it, black handwriting read LOST WOODS. He placed it down, and when Dira flipped the page, another picture, more enhanced and with less damaged yet aged on the sided sat in the center of the empty page. It was the picture of a pedestal surrounded by grass and a tree, and in the pedestal was a sword with a blue and purple handle.

Jin grasped the picture before Dira could flip the page. “I’m curious,” he tells them, pocketing the picture, “I’m going to take it.”

Dira said nothing as she continued to turn the pages until there was a yellowed photo, slightly burned on the edges. It was an old farm, burned to the ground. It was labeled with LON LON RANCH.

“Is this what we’re looking for?” Keras asked, placing a finger on the picture.

Dira nodded, smoothing out the crinkled paper and read the writing on the right side. “The founders were Talon and…” She gasped, while Jin was as surprised to read the name as she was, “Malon.” Dira picked up the picture and found another behind it, and when she revealed what it was, the three of them were shocked to see a beautiful young woman standing between two men, her bright waving red hair flowed down her shoulders, and she wore a simple farm dress, smiling at whoever was taking the picture itself. Dira turned it around and Malon’s name was on the back.

The girl was Malon. The same that Link had yelled during the fishing trip back at Lucent Lake. Dira placed the photo back, and read the rest of the inscription.

“Malon inherited Lon Lon Ranch after her father, Talon, had died, including the co-owner, Ingo. She was married by then, with a few children, and her husband.” Dira sighed. “Except her husband had gone to war, and he died.”

There was no picture of the husband, but Jin figured what it meant, and who it was. A small bit of him didn’t want to believe everything Link was saying for the past few days, nor Impa’s clarification of Link’s words that soon began to seem true in his word.

Jin also takes the photo, he stared at the three, but mostly at Malon. He had the subtle urge to crumple the paper and throw it into the fire. He yelled her name, he seemed almost shocked during whatever was bothering him.

Dira turned the page and there was another picture of Malon, except this time, she was younger and was caring for the horses in the ranch.

“Wait,” Keras pointed at the inscription underneath the picture at Malon’s name, including the horses she cared for during her time. And there was one name that was written in the page that was familiar to the three of them. “Is this who I think it is?”

Dira laughed, “This is Epona. She’s real."

“Does that mean…” Jin began, uncertain as he looked at both Dira and Keras, “that Link IS the Hero?”

Keras furrowed her brows and thought about it. “If he’s the Hero, than Malon must’ve been his wife at the time before he died.”

An ugly twist contorted in Jin’s stomach, wrapping around his heart and squeezed, at the same time, he crumpled the picture of Malon in his hand.

“We have no other proof,” Dira says, and before she closed the book, Jin grabbed the picture of the girl with the horses. “Link could’ve seen these pictures and...made something up and the stress is getting to him, making him confused and spouting nonsense.”

Keras shook her head, frowning at Dira. “No. I don’t believe that. Link couldn’t have seen these pictures when we are sneaking in the Village leader’s own house and stealing photo’s.” She gave a pointed look at Jin who shrugged. “Also, the three of us know Link isn’t like that. He grew out of stories awhile ago, he barely listens to Garik anymore. Why would he bother coming in here and reading about a past he doesn’t care about?”

She was right, Link was too lazy to consider knowing about the past, and as far as these pictures have gone, why bother to even come in here?

Dira sighed, and crossed her arms. “Fine, you’re right. But how are we going to explain what’s been happening to him? We can’t believe him to be sick, nor that he’s...he’s…” And before Dira could finish, they heard a loud commotion coming from outside, the floor beneath them rumbled as they put ran for the window they pried open and scrambled out of it.

The sounds became more pronounced as screams joined in, the clattering of growls and men and women yelling came to a frightening realization as they rushed to the front of the building.

Dira gasped, “We’re being invaded!”

Keras was already heading down the road to help with the soldiers who pushing back the monsters that were coming through the entrance of Akyllan.

Jin stared, stunned by the sight, he shoved the photo’s into his pockets and looked at Dira. “Go home and find a safe place to hi—”

“I am not hiding while our village is being terrorized!” Dira said, glaring at him.

“Fine, grab a weapon and fight them off!”

“Where are you going?” she called as he rushed the other way.

“Link!” he said without stopping, the inn was several houses away, and the monsters were growing in strength as all Jin heard was the sound of clashing metal and screams. He had to get to Link, he had to protect him. The knowledge of who Link was coming together, his past were scattered pieces of a past that was centuries old, mixed in with other people who Link learned to trust and fight alongside with. And who Link could’ve loved in those time periods, but it didn’t matter, not when danger was so close to him.


	11. An Attack Upon The Rightful Bearer of Courage

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Link has a dream of a Great Tree who speaks to him about a sword hidden in the forest, but he's awoken to his village being under attack.

Wide woodland area covered in a deep shade while sunlight streamed through branches and leaves. The smell of the wet soil, leaves, and dew hung throughout as he wandered barefoot along the trails of a place he called home. There’s a mist surrounded him, and he walked through, leaving trails behind him before they’re once again engulfed.

He spots something in the trees, a few in the grass, little woodland beings with a notable twinkling noise. He’s never able to catch them, nor tell them to stop hiding, he only wants to see what they are. He soon finds himself entering a clearing where the mist fades away and he brushes by long branches and wide leaves. Sunlight pours down on a pedestal surrounded by a set of ruins of an old building and in the pedestal was a rusted sword with a blue and purple handle.

He steps closer and feels as if someone is watching him, and he peers up at a pair of eyes on a tree, a mouth set in a frown. He backs away, feeling an inkling of fear before he’s reminded of who it is he’s in front of.

The tree groans and opens its mouth to speak. “Greetings. I am the Great Deku Tree.”

He nodded, in awe of what he had come upon. “I’ve heard of you,” he said, hearing the sound of his own voice, unlike the many times that were different in his _memories._ This time he was hearing his own, “In Garik’s stories.”

The Great Deku Tree groans, as if its stretching, and says, “Only the Hero can speak to me like this, a dream between dreams.”

Laughter fills Link’s chest, relieved to hear the words spoken. “This a dream. None of this is real!”

“No,” The Great Deku Tree said in an almost disappointed manner, “you are not awake to understand.”

Link frowned, unsure of what he’s meant to say about that. It lowered his own expectations as he looked down at his hands. He hadn’t meant to come into a dream and be welcomed by a tree, but also disappoint it at the same time.

“The sword,” The Great Deku Tree says, bringing Link out of his troubling thoughts, and Link looks down at the sword in the pedestal, it’s peculiar and looks somehow ordinary yet ornate, he knows it’s old, more than old, it was ancient. “It has been calling for you.”

“Me?” Link asked, keeping his hands away from it.

“The sword is awaiting for its release from the Pedestal of Time. Except it can only be released by the Hero who bears the crest of Courage.” Link looked up at The Great Deku Tree, hearing its disappointed hum. “You do not bear it, not yet.”

Confused, Link asked, “How do I—” And he was pulled away from the dream, The Great Deku Tree, the forest, the pedestal and the sword warped in his sight and he jolted awake by two hands grasping his arm, shaking him.

Jin’s frantic expression is on his face, and the door to the room was wide open as if he had barged in and thrown it against the wall. “Link, Akyllan is in danger, we’re under attack!” He grabbed Link’s arm and dragged him from the bed. “We have to get you out of here, the inn is too close to the entrance, and the village is being filled with monsters.”

Link follows Jin, noticing a lot of rooms were shut, and Tala was near the front door, she was holding a small knife and looking frazzled.

“Hurry,” she said, “I have to barricade the door and make sure the other patients are safe.”

Link and Jin nod as they rush out the door and Tala slams it shut. Link looks to the village and to his horror sees the rampage going on. Many monsters had crowded the village and were fighting the villagers. Soldiers and hunters, even fishermen, were at arms with the monsters, while houses were burning and some of the animals were slaughtered. He could even see bodies lying on the ground with puddles of blood surrounding them, but he didn’t stare too long, afraid of who it would be.

“Here,” Jin said, passing him the black and silver bow Daze had given him back at Penrith, including a quiver with a set of fifteen arrows. “That guy back at Penrith taught you, right? You might as well use those skills and help us clean this mess up.”

If Link wasn’t distracted by the monsters pouring in, and he had taken out a arrow and holding back the string, he would’ve heard the jealous undertone in Jin’s voice. It wasn’t something he would have thought about, not when he started targeting the monsters with high precision, killing them instantly before they could attack helpless villagers, or overwhelmed soldiers.

He and Jin run through the village, Link had run out of arrows quick, but found some on their way to Keras, who glanced back with a raised brow. She was covered in dark blood, and looked fierce in battle alongside her family and several soldiers.

“You have no training with a bow, Link,” she said, gripping a sword and cutting down a monster that had gotten too close to her.

Link laughed, pulling back the string and letting the arrow fly through the air, hitting another monster square in the face. “You’re right. I’m already exhausted, I don’t have the strength to wield this thing for long.”

“Let me use it before you break the damn thing,” she said, sheathing her bloody sword as he passed her the bow and quiver of arrows. The second they left his hand, Jin was dragging him away from the battlefield and toward Dira who had her own problems to deal with.

She was gritted teeth and snarls as she slashed many monsters, their bodies hit the ground the second her blade cut into them. She didn’t allow another to rise to their feet. He always knew she was ruthless, and was proud to see it.

“Come on,” she waves her hand, and they rush after her as she clears the way through a narrow path out of the village, and she comes to a skidding stop as more monsters appear, snarling with their clubbed weapons. And to Link’s sudden shock, an arrow flies through the air and strikes Dira in the shoulder, a horrid cry leaves her lips, her hand forced to drop her sword as she fell to her knees, blood oozes through the fabric of her shirt.

“Dira!” He and Jin yell as they run to her, and to Link’s chagrin, another memory splices between his reality and another’s. On a battlefield covered by a yellow sky, flames in the distance, is a woman on a horse as she draws closer to him. She wields a bow with a glowing arrow, her brunette hair flares behind her, her aim steady as the arrows sings and hits its target, the riveting dangerous presence of darkness in the distance.

“Zelda,” he says, and determination fills him to the brink as he reaches for Dira’s discarded sword, while Jin holds Dira who's holding back cries of pain. He isn’t entirely sure how to hold the sword, not like how he was with the bow and arrows, this felt strangely different, as if he was disconnected to the other memories he carried.

He might even die on this battlefield, surrounded by deadly monsters who didn’t care an ounce for him and his friends, nor the village they were infesting. He might not even figure out why he had this memories, nor if he will ever see Epona again.

It hurts to think it, to feel it, to know that all of this was for nothing. He glared at the group of monsters drawing closer, and in all his despair, he reached for the portion in those vast memories connected by centuries of lost times, he found that determination that carried them through the ages, through their pain and hatred. He let it fill him up, pouring into the recess of his mind.

He won’t let them hurt his friends.

Whatever courage the Great Deku Tree spoke of, or what the Legendary Hero had possessed, he didn’t care if he didn’t have it in him. He wasn’t going to stand here and die without doing something to change the tide. He grips the handle of the sword and swings it at the enemies, slashing them through the cheek, and shoving them back with they parried his attacks, steel slid together before he killed more, bodies landing to his feet, puddles growing around him.

And his hand ached, the top of it, a burning feeling that didn’t fade even how much he tried to ignore it while fighting off the monsters. He didn’t want them to touch his friends, not to let them hurt Dira like that, nor Jin who held no weapon.

_Courage._

The unknown voice, a woman’s voice, does not hinder him as he continues with his relentless assault.

 _Courage._ She speaks. _Is all you need so you can do what is right. To protect those who are dear to you. To protect those who cannot protect themselves at the cost of your own life. Use the Courage I bestow upon you, Chosen Hero, bare my crest._

His heart races as the light on his hand burns bright, cooling as it claims him, and he does not deny its power that flows within his body. A light shines bright, a power he did not know, and yet in some way, he understood. And with it, accepting the power, the light destroys the monsters around him, burning them up into ash, and since this all began, there was a settled feeling in his mind. A place he was meant to be, to stay in its lingering presence.

Once the light faded, he ran back to his friends and knelt down beside Dira while she and Jin stared at him in shock.

“What just happened?” she asked, her face pale from the blood loss.

Link smiled at her, the arrow had been taken out of her arm and was given a makeshift bandage from Jin’s over shirt. He shows them the mark on his hand, and he laughs when he sees how wide their eyes go.

“I proved my worth that I’m the Hero of this era.”


	12. The Hero Accepts His Destiny In Pools Of Blood

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Link fights to protect his friends, but the pain to see the dead makes him numb, but Impa tells him more about what he needs to know that will allow him to move forward, his friends won't let him deal with it alone.

Keras helped Link hide Dira and Jin in a safe place while they protect them from the monsters. Keras told him they were called Bokoblins, Moblins, Chu-Chu’s, and Keese. They came in great hoards from out of nowhere and overwhelmed many soldiers, but soon even their numbers began to decrease.

“Is the myth true?” Keras asked, slashing at a bokoblin who was swinging a wide club at her, but it took it off balance, giving her an opening kill. She was covered in blood, wounds opened, but it didn’t hold her back as she fought with gritted teeth. “Are you truly the Hero?”

She had seen the mark glow, it was on his hand, it gave him courage to fight even without any prior knowledge of learning combat. He knew how to hold his own in battle.

Link smiled, “Must be. If I’m bearing a piece of the Triforce.”

Even saying that was a rush. They learned about the Triforce. It’s power made many crave it, and wars filled the lands for a second to touch that ancient power. It was rife with conflict, and it was the reason it destroyed the Kingdom many times in the pursuit of power.

He learned mostly from Garik’s stories that the Triforce was left by itself once before it was known, and there were people that hid it away, and protected it so others wouldn’t fight and kill over it. Now, it seemed it too had faded with time and myth, only to turn out to be true.

There was a lot of speculation upon history, and a lot that was missing from it. Even the Royal Family were picky of who should learn it, while the Sheikah were more mysterious in their cause. As time went on, no one cared anymore, people grew up, wanted to be safe within the homes they built for the families they created. Maybe in all those hidden places, it was better that the Triforce was lost.

He wasn’t so sure about holding it in his hand, but he couldn’t take it back. Not when it can help him save his friends and the village.

“If you’re the Hero,” Keras said, slashing another bokoblin, she let out a frustrated grunt as blood sprayed into the air as puddles grew in size. Link had stepped in a few, with his lack of training growing up, his exertion was coming on strong in his arms and legs, but he pushed on. “Then the Princess must be alive somewhere, and The Great King who brought darkness to these lands!”

It didn’t come to him right away to think about the implication. Keras was right. If he was chosen as the Hero, and his ascension is now known in the light once he possessed the Triforce of Courage. It must also mean the Princess is alive, and The Great King. All this time, he had been worried about other things, and maybe he can think about it later once the battle settles.

He gets a moment of reprieve, panting hard as sweat glistens and slides along his skin. He notices the piles of bodies lying on the sides, the thick blood in the grass and soil, along the pathways, between the crevices of stone walkways. It’s painful to see it, his shock almost causes him to back away, to hide, but he doesn’t move in that direction.

He fights with Keras, killing more monsters, watching their bodies fall as his blade slices through their bodies. He’s nicked here and there, splashes of blood soak his clothes and wet his face. He spits out any that fell in his mouth before fighting onward until finally the fight calms, and he leans on Keras who stands with her sword digging into the soil. She’s panting, but more in control than he is.

“I’m afraid,” he tells her, wiping sweat and blood from his face.

“It’s too late for fear to swallow you whole,” Keras says in a grim tone, “you chose your path, now walk it.”

He nodded, pushing away from her and heading along the path, his bare feet landing in the puddles of blood. He’s a little disgusted that he fought without shoes, and even Keras had given him an odd look about the choice. But everything had happened so quickly that he didn’t think about it. At least he still had his toes, and he didn’t have the misfortune to step on sharp stones and fallen weapons. He didn’t want the infection of unknown blood getting into his system.

Link’s body is sore all over, and his heart is racing painfully as he comes upon a group of dead lying on blankets, away from the pile of dead monsters. He closes his eyes for a moment before opening them and looking down at several familiar faces.

Paka, the girl Jin had dated, the one with the pink dress who cared for the kids, she worked in her parents shop, and knew how to ride a horse thanks to Lok’s lessons. Except, combat was not in her skill set, and yet she had picked up a sword and died with it. Her mother held Paka’s hand, rocking back and forth and crying, while her father stood to the side, holding the sword she had fought with as tears brimmed his eyes.

Another was Aloane, whom he had spoken back when they fished together, and she was happy and sarcastic, and warm with everyone she spoke too. She helped with gathering most of the fish with the fishermen, and was usually the one going hunting. She was a warrior like all Gerudo’s who had come from the Gerudo Desert. He knew she had fought valiantly, and it was sad to see that she had died.

And before he could look away, he had spotted Cil’s body lying among the dead. The front of his shirt was riddled with blood that told him Cil was killed by arrows. He was also a fishermen and hunter like Aloane. One of the oldest members of that group, who was stealthy, and able to catch his prey off guard. It was only a shame his life ended in that way.

Laret, Aloane’s best friend, was crying once she found her body. He stepped away to the side, watching as Laret fell to her knees, coming to Aloane’s side and pressing a hand against her face, speaking her name as if Aloane would awaken, but her tears told him that Laret knew she wasn’t going too.

She looked up and spotted Keras walking down the path to Link’s right. Laret gasped, she got to her feet and stumbled over to Keras and embraced her younger sister.

“You’re alive,” she said, her voice raw from crying. “Oh, thank the Goddess, my sister is alive. You’re alive!” She held her tightly, her body shaking as tears ran down her face.

“Dira!” Link turned toward a woman’s anguished scream, her long white haired was pulled back into a high knot, she wore a white and red dress, ignoring the blood she stepped in, her eyes frantic as she glanced around the dead while her husband tried to calm her down. “Dira!” He saw the tears threatening to fall from her eyes before they widened, and Link turned to see Dira down the pathway with Jin.

“Mama!” she called, and her mother, Sil, ran towards Dira and held her in her arms, aware of the wound Dira had in her shoulder, while Dira’s father, Vin, and her uncle, Eemon, embraced her.

Sarese, a tall Gerudo woman strode past a group of Hylian’s where she headed for her two daughters, Laret and Keras, and held them in her arms.

Jin was looking at him and he almost seemed to want to come over to Link before his own parents embraced him. His father, Iras, and his mother, Cera, hugged their son and spoke to him. Link also noticed Jin’s older siblings, Mavi and Ace, coming to their side, both of them also holding weapons, their light leather armour were worn down by the fight, soaked through by dark blood. He figured his younger siblings, Tarro and Isa, were hidden away so they wouldn’t join the dead.

Link knew it was all private affairs at the sight of the massacre. So many have died, and he avoided looking at their faces, and to see how they were killed in battle. He was numb from the fighting, sore and tired, that all he wanted to do was go back home, wash off the blood and sleep in his own bed. He wanted to lie under the blankets and pretend none of this tragedy had ever taken place.

Link ran into Garik who was cleaner than most and probably had hidden away before the battle commenced. The man looked up at Link, his eyes widened at his presence and seemed to notice something. The mark on his hand stayed glowing faintly, as if the power still rose in him, the courage still there in his soul even how exhausted he was.

Garik stepped back and bowed his head before Link. “Oh, gracious, Goddess Hylia, who have granted us the Hero.” He raised his arms into the air, “Thank you, Goddess Hylia, for granting us the Hero of our time in need. I praise you, Goddess Hylia!”

Link swallowed thickly, backing away and shaking his head. “No. Stop, Garik!” He didn’t know what to do, he could feel eyes on them as more people looked toward Garik’s announcement. It was bad enough so many people died, if he was declared the Hero, it would be bad timing for the ones that needed to mourn.

A hand fell on Link’s shoulder and he jumped as he turned his head to see Impa standing beside him. She gave a disappointed look at Garik whose eyes widened at her presence. “Garik, tend to the wounded and the dead instead of making an unnecessary scene.”

A pink flush covered Garik’s face before he nodded and headed off toward where the dead lay.

Impa turned to him, her hands before her. “Come to my house, Link. I’d like to talk to you.”

Link nodded, too numb to do anything else, to think of an excuse and he simply followed her down the pathway, around the bend where they walked by more dead, grieving villagers, and soldiers who walked the paths. A grim air hung around them. Akyllan hadn’t ever been hit this hard before. The attack was out of nowhere, and Link wasn’t sure how he felt about that.

He walked up the stairs and into Impa’s home that smelled of strong incense with a dim light, and closed windows. They entered another room where Link left the cracked open while Impa sat down behind a desk.

“I’m sure you know without me explaining why this happened,” she began, her tone serious and to the point. Her eyes frightened him, made him feel inferior while his mind went blank with answers. “The Great King knows you’ve awakened. He knew you were going to ascend sooner or later.”

Link wasn’t as surprised to hear that, it made sense, but in someway, how did he know? How did he know that Link was the Hero before he knew himself?

“The Great King is testing your resolve in accepting the crest.” Impa’s gaze went down to Link’s hand and the crest no longer glowed as it did before. “He’s testing your acceptance to the fate of the Hero.”

Link looked up, brows furrowed at her words. “No. This isn’t a test, this is a slaughter!”

“The Great King sees no difference in his methods,” Impa retorted. “Killing is what he is, who he is. He has enslaved many, slaughtered countless people throughout the ages since his existence.” Link lowered his head, staring at the wooden floors, feeling troubled. “Each reincarnation of him left Hyrule in considerable ruin. He leaves bloodshed and death in his path since the beginning.”

Hearing what Impa has said left Link more troubled about the crest he now possesses. The role he accepted while fighting off the monsters to protect his friends. Now that the repercussions were large and he had seen death up close, tragedy and tears mixed together in painful ruin in his small village. Yet, the Kingdom is bigger, and there were more people outside the border of Akyllan.

Impa calmed herself and said, “The Great King ascended long before you, Link.”

He glanced up at her, but his ear twitched at a notable sound coming from behind him. A creak of weight on floorboards outside the room, but he was more concerned about what Impa was about to tell him.

“His ascension came in the form of The Ancient Scourge,” Impa said, surprising Link. “It has damaged many lives, I’ve seen first hand of its chaos, and during that time the Royal Family was already gone. The palace emptied, and the princess miss—”

“He’s the reason!” The door is wide open and Link is shocked to see Dira standing furious in the threshold, she still wore the bloodied clothes, her fingers curled and her body stiff. Blood still stained her hair, but he can see that some strands were wet. He figured her parents tried to take out the blood as best they could. She stepped into the room, ignoring Link who moved to the side, away from her rage where he also spotted both Keras and Jin entering the room. “He’s the reason why Nila died!”

Impa sighed at the sight of the three. “Yes,” she said to Dira, “he’s the reason why she died, and many more during that hard time.”

“I want him dead,” Dira spat, she breathed heavily with her hatred, “I want to kill him myself!”

Impa shook her head at Dira’s outburst. It almost looked as if she were dealing with a child with a tantrum, but was still holding onto some kind of patience when before she was simply trying to quickly get through explanation with Link. Now it seemed she had to change direction with Dira who was a bit more demanding than Link’s numb disposition.

“Not a mere mortal can kill The Great King.” Impa placed her hands on the desk, rolling back her shoulders, as if readying herself for more of Dira’s rage. “Only the Chosen Hero and the Princess of Legend has ever striked the killing blow.”

Dira placed her hand on her hip, the one that wasn’t injured, and gave Impa a menacing smirk. “Well, it’s time things changed.”

Impa shook her head again, letting out a sigh. “Just because you want him dead, doesn’t mean it’ll be done by your hand.”

Dira rolled her eyes and slumped her shoulders, wincing at the pain in her shoulder before turning to Link. He was a little sensitive to the conversation they were having, mostly the one about killing The Great King, as if he had a chance to do it without getting himself killed in the process. And now Dira was glaring at him, her resentment burned in her eyes. “Fine. I’ll go with Link, and I’ll make sure he kills him!”

Link blinked, taking a cautious step back. “W-what?” He didn’t expect her to say that, maybe more ranting, and then she’d let it go, but this...why did she decide on this?

Dira stepped closer to him, her glare stayed in tact. “It’s obvious you can’t stay in Akyllan, Link. Get that through your head! The Great King knows you reside here. Akyllan won’t be safe if you stay.” She sighed, and her tone calmed. “You have to fulfill your destiny, Link.”

Why did it sound so threatening in Dira’s voice? More dire, as if he was running out of time and he only found out half way through? He was scared. His heart raced at the thoughts and what Dira and Impa said. He looked at Keras than at Jin, they both weren’t saying anything, and he knew they knew that it was right. He had to leave.

“If you’re going to get somewhere,” Impa said, easing the room back into focus as Link turned to her, trying to hide his shakiness, “the first thing you should do is locate the Blade of Evil’s Bane. It resides in the Lost Woods before the Guardian called The Great Deku Tree.”

The name that the tree in his dream had given to him. He had spoken to him before the battle waged. He told him that Link wasn’t ready to pull the sword from the pedestal until he bore the crest. He looked down at his hand where it glowed faintly.

He accepted his choice, his path, and his friends were here with him. He knew he had to leave Akyllan, it was the only right thing to do so no one else dies. And if he was going to do anymore good, he’d have to retrieve the sword.

Link looked up and stepped past Dira and stared into Impa’s eyes, willing enough determination and courage in his words. “I’ll do it, I accept my position as The Hero.” It was only right that he did. All the memories he possessed of the others, they had accepted it, the responsibility of protecting the land.

“Before you go,” Impa said as Link was about to turn and locate some equipment in the village before he departed, she rose from her chair and stepped around the desk, “I want to give you something before you leave.” He followed her out of the room, his friends crowding the front area, as Impa returned with a box with a smile on her face. “This tunic has been woven and sown over the years. It was tradition to make this in the Sheikah Clan back when Kakariko Village still stood.”

Tradition?

She opened the box and revealed a green tunic and a long cap. “This was made for the Hero that would return to us. And you have returned, and my family, a long line of Sheikah who protected and cared for the Royal Family, and the Hero, waited for this moment. It is a great honor to be giving you this at my age.” She bowed before him as he carefully took the clothes from the box, marveling over it. She indicated the room to the right where he can change his clothes, there was a water basin to clean the blood from his hair and face. A bit of food laid out for him.

Jin joined him in the room as he took off his clothes, dropping them onto the floor He seemed awkward at first as he pulled something from his pocket.

“I wanted to give you these,” Jin said, holding three photographs in his hand. There seemed to be guilt on his face as he glanced down at how crumpled they were, but Link blamed the battle as he took them from him.

The first was of a family in front of a farm, two men and a woman. He didn’t recognize them and he didn't know why Jin was giving him the photo.

“Her name is Malon,” Jin said, looking away from the photo, “in your past life, you were married to her, and had children with her, but he died during the war.”

Link didn’t say anything, looking at the woman, he felt nothing towards her and the one memory that kept returning didn’t surface. He switched photos and found one of Malon, but this time she was younger, and in the background was a horse. He stared, his eyes widening at the sight of her.

“Epona,” he whispered, his breath came out heavy as he stared at her in the background. She was small than what he remembered, but he knew when he was older, he had gained her trust and Malon allowed him to take her as his own.

Link glanced over the one with the woods and gave two back to Jin. “I’ll keep this one,” he said, looking down at the one with Epona. “I want to find her.”

“You will,” Jin said, smiling as he pocketed the photo’s and picked up the green tunic. “Now, let’s see how you look in this.”

For the journey, Impa made sure he was given chain mail under the green tunic, including arm guards, tan colored pants, traveling boots with steel toes, a belt around his waist, including a holster for the sword he used to protect Dira and Jin.

Before he left, Impa reminded Link that the Lost Woods was treacherous. He did not want to lose his way in there. Link assured her that he won’t, and in some way, he already knew the path.

She smiled, and for the first time since meeting her, he caught the sorrow in her eyes and it sagged along her shoulders. “Keep that positivity, Link, holding the mantle of Hero has destroyed you many times in the past.”

He nodded, and stepped outside of Impa’s home and fixed the cap on his head. It seemed almost silly for him to wear it while his friends stood at the bottom of the stairs. They were smiling, and he wasn’t sure if they were making fun of him, but the cap fit and he ran down the steps.

“Should you be leaving Akyllan while injured?” Link asked Dira, who still had a pale pallor upon her face, shadows hung heavy under her eyes.

She gave him a grin and said, “Eemon gave me Chu Jelly he extracted from the slain Chu-Chu’s.”

Link and Jin grimaced. “And you drank it?” Jin asked, incredulously.

“It’s a makeshift health potion, it’s only relevant _after_ they die,” she said, glaring at them.

“Did your uncle at least give you an actual health potion?” Link asked.

“Yes,” she said, furrowed brows while holding her bag filled with what her parents had made sure she needed on their journey.

Link watched his friends say goodbye to their families. He stood in the background, away from everyone else who were still mourning, but mostly watching as his friends argued with their parents and siblings. Dira was slowly getting her way as her family doted on her before they succumbed, while Jin took a bit of time saying goodbye to his siblings, and Keras had simply said she was leaving and stood beside Link while they both waited for the others.

They were all dressed in different leather armour that distinguished them. Jin wore brown leather armour with a black cloak, Dira wore something equally as dark, but with a red cloak, and Keras wore light toned blue and green armour with gold borders that didn’t cover her stomach nor her legs. They were both toned, and the black cloak that covered most of her red hair hid any from sight anyway, her mother knew what Keras was getting herself into.

The blood was gone from most of their hair and faces after they washed up. They drank health potions to rid them of the wounds they had and gained back their strength they lost during the battle. Link held a milk bottle and was slowly drinking it on their way out of Akyllan.

He was apprehensive about their journey. Afraid that they might not return, but if they did, they’d bring peace with them. He was ready to fight the darkness, to bring back the princess and restore the Kingdom.

_Link._

He heard this voice before, it was far away from him, but he knew it somewhere in his soul. A whisper of it in his past lives, one before him had met this voice, bonded with it, as many who held the sword in their hand when they pulled it free from the pedestal.

He knew it as a spirit named Fi.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey. This took most of the day to write...and edit...Haha! :D I really enjoyed writing this, I kinda got cheesy by the end, but oh wells. I'm still trying to straighten out some of the outline. If some things aren't consistent, don't worry about it, I'll try to fix some of it as I continue writing this story. 
> 
> I hoped you enjoyed.
> 
> Comments and/or Kudo's are appreciative.


	13. Doubts & Rescues

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Link is doubting himself and everything he remembers throughout his past lives, and when they are needed, they run into the fray to do what they can.

“I hate him!” Dira says to the sky, the trees to their left, and to the wide plains to their right. The horses glance up before moving away, while a group of birds take flight. She’s been at this since they left Akyllan, and she was marching forward with no care about the rise of her voice as she raised her hands into the air, declaring her hatred. “We’re going to kill The Great King, and no one is going to stop us! I’m glad I found out who killed my sister, and now I have a name, an idea, and I can’t wait until we slice his neck and chop his head off!” 

Link frowned as he walked with Jin and Keras. “Quit announcing our plans to the world,” he said, interrupting her rant, “or his spies will find out...and it’ll be easier for him to hunt us.” 

“And chop  _ our  _ heads off before we get the chance to do it to him,” Jin said, raking his fingers through his dark hair, giving Dira an unimpressed expression. 

She turned, placing her hands on her hips. “Fine. I’ll stop.” Her determination slowly faded and she turned her attention to the empty plains, the wind blowing her white hair softly against her face. “Before we do anything...can we stop at Fado Lake? I want to see if Ekos comes and tell her I won’t be around for awhile.”

Since the memories and the battle in Akyllan, he had forgotten about the Zora who appeared in Fado Lake. Dira was surprised and amazed to finally meet a Zora. They rarely left their Domain since the War, and even less when the Scourge took many lives. 

Jin chuckled, nudging Dira in the shoulder as she glared. “You like Ekos?” he asked, wrapping his arm around her neck as they started walking once more, this time toward Fado Lake. 

“I do,” Dira responds. 

“No, no, Dira, I mean, do you  _ like  _ Ekos?” 

“I said, I do,” she replied, nudging Jin in the rib and he moved away from her, chuckling at her response. “I like her, but it doesn’t mean I’ll pursue her during our journey, nor will I if she doesn’t want what I want. I’m old enough to come clean with that decision, and to be responsible with the person I like.” She snickered, as she said, “Unlike you.”

Link had barely focused on their conversation. The Lost Woods crowded his thoughts, and mostly his worth in walking in its depths. If he was even allowed to enter and leave without trouble. Garik’s stories told him that The Lost Woods were a formidable place, not many have left its grasp. Yet the memories had told him of great warriors stepping in and walking out with no damage to their bodies, they didn’t even need to unsheathe their weapons. They were well disciplined, and knew the laws of the wood more than most, and they had journeyed out from their home as he was doing now. 

He knew they were happy and optimistic with their decisions to do what is right, but Link also knew that by the end of their journey, they were worn down to the bone. Panting ragged breaths between cracked lips, as they struggled to hold their sword, the metal plates upon their bodies were dented and torn through. Blood sunk under their blunt fingernails, and they struggled to hold themselves on shaky exhausted limbs. 

Link touched the hilt of his own blade, the one he protected Dira and Jin with when he accepted himself as the Hero. Dira told him he could keep it, hone his skill with the sword before he gets his hands on the Blade of Evil’s Bane. Even that was daunting. Was he truly worthy to pull it from the pedestal? Garik’s story told him that only the Chosen Hero can wield the sword. Anyone else weren’t able to do it, and they were then proven that they weren’t the Hero. Or at least the one who bore the Crest of Courage. 

Link took off his brown leather glove and the mark sat on the back of his hand and it wasn’t glowing. It was there the moment he had taken up Dira’s sword to defend his friend’s, even without proper training, he didn’t want them to die. Was he truly worthy? Someone like him unlike the friends he’s surrounded by, wouldn’t it make more sense if they were chosen?

Was it because he held the Hero’s spirit within him, or it because the Goddess is blessing him?

Link put the leather glove back on. He sighed. “What if I’m not chosen? What if it was a fluke?” 

Dira looked over her shoulder, arching a brow. “At least we know Garik was right about his stories. They weren’t nonsense, so why should you be considered unworthy for something you’ve proved already?” 

“Maybe that’s the reason why you liked his stories growing up,” Jin said, locking eyes with Link, “because he was right, and he was explaining your past to you.”

Link nodded as they continued walking. They were right, but he didn’t know if he wanted to tell them about what he’s been seeing. At least the details of his dreams, and what he seen while awake. It was troubling. How he reacted to everything for the past several days. The pain his past lives felt, the way they hated, and that hatred only grew until it exhausted them to the point of death. 

Maybe it was better if he kept all that to himself. 

They reached Fado Lake, and while they wait for Ekos, they set down their packs and took off their cloaks. Keras wanted to test Link’s fighting skills, and remark on his stances. He was still new to fighting and a small part of him wished he trained with Vollon instead of lingering between the bookshelves in Eren’s bookshop.

An hour went by, and Link wiped away sweat from his forehead. Keras stood, unshaken by the exertion. She did wipe sweat from her own face with the back of her hand, the bright sun made her hair looked so much brighter in the light, a beautiful red shined upon brown skin. Her amber eyes were inquisitive as she watched him with each movement, she was swift and careful, and didn’t go all out on him as she had done in Akyllan against the horde of Bokoblins, Moblins, Chu-Chu’s, and Keese. 

“I’m impressed,” she said, giving him a smile, “you never wielded a sword before today, and yet you hold basic skills. Enough to qualify you as a prodigy swordsmen.” 

Flustered, Link smiled, rubbing the back of his neck. “My memories, at least the ones from my past lives, have helped in that regard.” He shrugged. “It feels more like muscle memory. Like I’ve always known how to wield a sword.”

The most relevant ones who knew how to wield a sword, the ones who were taught it an early age and never let go of its practice was a soldier for Hyrule, another had grown up around soldiers and later became a Knight. They trained for many years, even how young they were, they were disciplined, determined, mature enough to understand their responsibilities to the Kingdom. It was in their right to do what needs to be done. 

It only made sense that he knew how to wield a sword because of them. They held the sword in their hand, the one bestowed from the Goddess and only the spirit will accept. They pulled it from the pedestal and wielded it perfectly.

Link looked down at his hands when he sheathed the sword. “Maybe it’ll feel better when its hands.”

“Keras! Link!” He turned at Dira’s horrified scream as they turned toward the water’s edge where he last spotted Dira and Jin. However, they were no longer there and the both of them were in the water, swimming towards three Zora’s, dark blood trailed behind them, and it seemed it was coming from the main Zora they were holding. He recognized her as he and Keras sprinted toward the water, that it was Ekos. She was badly injured as the Zora’s, Dira, and Jin returned to the shore. 

The two other Zora’s were wounded as well, yet more fresh than the one they were holding who Dira was caressing with shaky fingers. 

“Ekos, Ekos?” Dira murmured, breathing heavily as water dropped upon Ekos skin. 

“Our names are Alura, and Ero,” the female Zora spoke, they both stood to the side, and Ero’s wore an anguished expression as he looked down at Ekos whilst covered in her blood. “Zora’s Domain is under attack, the Prince ordered us to leave with any injured. She told us to take her to Fado Lake. We just never knew a Royal Guard had come into contact with other…” 

Link disregarded her pause, and was surprised to hear that Ekos is actually a Royal Guard to the Zora’s Domain. When they first met her, she didn’t seem like it, but more friendly. The Zora’s that brought her here felt more hostile yet they had hit a wall. 

“Take us to your Domain,” Keras said, already heading for her pack and sword left on the grass. 

Link nodded to the Zora’s. “We’ll help with the ensuring battle.” He sprinted after Keras and grabbed his sword and placed his light leather armor back on. 

“You know what this means,” Keras said, sheathing her sword.

“Yes,” Link said, looking up at her and ready for a fight. They headed back to the Zora’s with the thought that the Great King decided to attack the Zora’s after he wreaked havoc on Akyllan.

“I’ll stay,” Dira said with tears in her eyes and resolution. 

Alura and Ero decided to stay as well, in case something were to happen to the two. Dira didn’t object and decided to check out Ekos’s wound. Ero explained where they can find The Zora’s Domain, and to be swift, they were afraid for their Prince.

Jin changed and was catching up as Link kept in stride with Keras they headed for The Zora’s Domain. 

Link panted as he ran, hand on the hilt of his sword, and with each step he took, a memory seemed to flicker before his eyes. The same panting breath and fear burning in his veins during a cold night. He opened a trap door inside a dim lit house after he slain many monsters that evaded the town. And what he found within the trap door was a young Prince in the arms of a farm girl. Her eyes were wide as she clutched the Zora Prince in her arms, and Link saw no recognition in her eyes as she started to plea for his help. 

The Prince was dying. 


	14. Saving A Prince

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Link and his friends enter the Zora's Domain to help them eradicate the infestation, while also looking for the prince.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey. Sorry for taking awhile...I wanted to take a break, but lately, I think I might mostly work on this fic than any other since I'm also adding notes to my original wip that gave me inspiration from Legend of Zelda when I was a kid. :) 
> 
> I hope you enjoy. 
> 
> Comments and/or Kudo's are appreciative.

They came upon bodies lying on the ground, blood marring the grass and the walked upon path to the Zora’s Domain. It was quite the run, Link was already sweating under his tunic, but he was determined to help even if he stepped into puddles of blood, and he had to force his eyes away from the Zora’s with deep wounds upon their blue and white scaled bodies, the cloth and jewels of their home were torn apart, scattered among the ground, while their weapons were also discarded, either broken, or left behind with the bodies. It was obvious they had fought The Great King’s minions from the dark blood upon the tips of their weapons, and the burning on their skin from the splashes.

They were close, the clash of steel and screams grew as they continued past dead soldiers, and a few Zora’s who had tried to run. Link couldn’t focus on them, the growing sensation of rage burning in his skin as he spotted Zora children lying dead.

He had to keep going.

The Zora’s managed to kill The Great King’s monsters who had ravaged the passageways to the Zora’s Domain. Their bodies also laid dead on the ground in clusters. Link had jumped over a few, climbing on some, and dropping onto the ground before rushing up the steep hill along with Keras and Jin.

Keras took her blades from their sheathes, glancing back at Link and Jin, giving them both a nod, as they finally came upon the Great Ruto Bridge. This would lead to another passage up ahead, and around the bend, they were come upon The Zora’s Domain.

Eros explained where to go, telling them to hurry, to protect his home and his prince.

Keras slashed at an incoming yellow scaled Lizalfos that were guarding the bridge. She was quick and relentless as the monster fell hard onto the beautifully crafted bridge. Silver with a blue sheen. Carved in swirls on the sides upon the railings. It looked like glass, but Link knew it was a lot more stronger than that.

Link jogged behind Jin while Keras took out another Lizalfos at the entrance of the bridge. He glanced down at the river below his feet, the color was dark and stunk of death. There were even bodies flowing off the cliff to the bottom.

How many had the Great King brought to the Zora’s Domain? Was he truly testing Link, first Akyllan, now the Zora’s Domain. Is this all a game to him?

“Please,” a woman’s voice slowed his pace, his limbs burned from running to the domain, but this was different, the voice pulled him in and made everything inside of his body feel as if it were floating. Light as a feather in the soft summer breeze. “My death has made him ill, he won’t enter the water, but he must, please, help him move on. And tell him that I love him.”

“Link!” Jin calls, his brows knitted.

He nodded once the voice had faded, the memory seemingly close to the surface was gone as he pushed himself into a sprint and followed his friends. They finally came upon the entrance to the Zora’s Domain. And it was painted in a harsh red under a bright sun.

Keras was already aiding the Zora’s who looked fatigue from the fight as more Bokoblins, Lizalfos, Chuchu’s, a group of Keese, and Moblins crowded the bridge, and along the staircases above them as the blue walkways shone bright. Except the beauty was tarnished by the battle, and Link was caught up with taking out his sword and protecting any of the Zora’s that were close by.

“Link!” Jin called, “find the Prince!”

He nodded, slashing a Bokoblin, and a loud whistle came from the waters. He glanced down as a large rock was thrown into the air, hitting the walkways above, and knocking off a Zora who had fallen several feet in front of Link. The sound of the body hitting the ground was harsh, and he took out his bow and tore out an arrow from a body before pointing the arrow towards the purplish blue Octorok in the water. He held the string steady, his ear twitched at a sound coming close to him, letting the arrow go, he swung his sword at a Keese that had gotten too close.

The Keese slammed into the ground, while Link glanced back at the water where his arrow had hit its mark into the Octorok’s forehead, killing it instantly as it’s massive body sunk into the swirl of blue and red water.

“Nice shot, Link!” Keras said, rushing by.

A smile split across his face, gripping his sword again, he clashed with a Moblin who was about to kill a Zora. The Zora stared at the blade in front of her, eyes wide in shock, while Link shoved the Moblin back, slashing the sword it held, before gaining an opening, and killing it by stabbing his sword through its body. He pulled it back as he turned around to face the Zora.

“T-Thank you,” she said, picking up the sword she had dropped and rushing back into the fray.

Link wiped the sweat from his face and possibly a mingle of blood as the first burn stung on his cheek when the Moblin’s blood splashed on his face. He didn’t want it to scar, and it was good enough he wiped it away before it could erode his skin. He caught sight through the battle, past the bodies on the ground, puddles of thick dark blood, was a young Zora in silver to blue regalia. He held a silver trident in his hands while two Zora guardsmen held their ground before him.

The Prince.

“Tell him that I love him with all of my heart.”

The voice almost made Link stall before he sprinted past a group of Bokoblins, he slashed at them, the heat of their splashed blood hit the ground, sizzling under the suns heavy rays.

Whilst he was busy striking down the monsters, Bokoblin after Bokoblin, the golden light of his mark shown threw his gloved hand. He had questioned it, afraid of its answer, even though it was right there for him to see.

He was chosen.

The Hyrule’s Chosen Hero.

Meant to protect everyone from the evil that lurks from the Great King who had brought the Scourge. And when Link was awakened, when he had grasped for the power and accepted it from the Goddesses themselves, the Great King taunted him with the deaths of the ones Link couldn’t save.

The prince’s guardsmen fell one after the other. Leaving the prince on his own, and he managed to fend his attacker off, but he’s also hit. Link sprinted past a group of Zora’s winning their battles, calling for their prince in the language he didn’t understand.

Link blocked the next attack from a Moblin who towered over the prince’s thin frame. Link shoved the Moblin back, backing up the prince who stared at him, perplexed of who he was, and possibly wondering why a Hylian was in his midst.

“I’ll protect you,” Link told the prince, the words had come out harsh, through gasping breaths, as he faced the Moblin, and the fear was not extended to this moment, but to another. Specifically to a young girl who had forgotten him, to the prince who was sick, and Link was desperate to keep them safe on the road heavily covered monsters that rose when the sun set.

Link struck down the Moblin with brutal ease, panting harsh as he turned around to face the prince who stared at him in absolute awe.

He cleared his throat and spoke in Link’s language in a strong and formal voice, “You saved my life, Hylian, thank you.”

Link returned the smile, “Let’s not say that until the Domain is cleared of these monsters.”

The Prince agreed, following Link back into the battle that began to thin out with the help of more Zora’s, including Keras and Jin who fought alongside them.

By the time the battle is over, Link is wet with blood and the spray of water. Sweat soaks into his clothes, and he slightly grimaces, but that changes when he looks upon the bodies lying on the wide walkways. Filled of red and black blood, bodies of dead monsters, including the Zora’s kin. Many who were sworn to protect their prince, to protect their Domain.

Link steps over the bodies until he finds Keras and Jin, both of them speaking to two Zora’s whom Jin introduces. Naro and Tera. Royal Guards who were worried for their prince.

“He returned to the second floor, assessing the damages,” Link frowned, “and the dead.”

“Thank you,” Naro said, giving Link a small smile before rushing past him, followed by Tera.

Link is pulled back to his friends when Jin wipes off blood from his chin. “Does this excite you?” he asked. Jin is equally covered in blood, water, and sweat. Link isn’t even sure if he’s harmed, but doesn’t seem like it. Neither does Keras who has sheathed her blades, and is standing tall while watching the Zora’s move around, speaking to one another, mourning their dead, and carrying the corpses of monsters away where Link figured they might burn. He catches a few glances their way, but the attention is diverted to their own crisis.

“I like helping,” Link says, he can’t will himself to smile, not when there were so many that died, and yet he wanted to think of the positive. Of the ones who still draw breath.

“We should speak to the prince about the sentries at Fado Lake,” Keras said, walking past them. Link and Jin followed her while more Zora’s wandered by, carrying off covered bodies, while the wail of the mourners stayed in the air.

They climbed the steps to the second floor and Link found the prince standing by the entrance to the Domain’s throne room. He was speaking to several Zora’s before his gaze strayed towards them, and he seemed fixed as he quickly moved past the Zora’s and wandered over to them.

“Thank you,” the prince said, smiling at the three of them, but mostly falling on Link, “if you hadn’t come...I’m not even sure what would’ve happened.”

“I’m sure you would’ve managed,” Keras said.

The prince shook his head, “I’m just glad that the numbers haven’t been cut in half. If we’re hit again unexpectedly, the Domain and my people will suffer.”

Link glanced away, a heaviness settled in his gut as he turned back to the prince, “We heard about was happening from two of your sentries, one of them was heavily injured, and they asked us to assist you.”

“One of our own,” Jin continued, “a Sheikah girl named Dira is mending the injured at Fado Lake.”

The prince nodded, waving towards a Zora holding a silver spear that has been cleaned off of the black blood. “Take several Zora’s to Fado Lake and retrieve the injured, and bring the girl, Dira, here.”

The Zora guard nodded and headed away from them, calling forth a group by the stairwell to follow him.

“Thank you, Prince…” Link said, giving the prince an awkward smile.

He held himself with strong dignity, a sort of way that Link imagined royalty to be, even in the stories that Garik had told. It seemed they were as true as they came. “Zale, Prince Zale, and you are?”

“Link,” he introduced, “this is Jin, and Keras.”

Prince Zale nodded, seemingly pleased that he knew their names, “my father, the King of the Zora’s recently passed away, and the Queen, when I was a child. I’ve been given the mantle of ruling, but not of it, my coronation will be set soon enough. I’m not entirely sure if it will if the monsters keep on appearing.” He looked past them as the waterfalls couldn’t drown out the cries, the voices picking up the dead monsters, and even the dead Zora’s. “I’m sure my people will want to see my crowned as King soon enough, before my life is taken.”

He turned back to them, giving them a smile. “I never thought I would see two Hylian’s, a Gerudo, and apparently, a Shekiah, helping my people.”

“I’m grateful,” Link said, “for helping you, and anyone we saved. We never thought we’d come upon any of the Zora’s before since we left our village.”

Prince Zale nodded, “Yes, my people and I have been isolated from any of the others outside of the Domain’s borders. I do want to ask, why did you leave your home?”

Link glanced to Jin and Keras awkwardly, he could feel the tension off both of them, except for different reasons. He couldn’t fathom why, but Jin seemed closed off from the conversation, while Keras was listening in as stoically as she could.

“We’re...looking for someone,” Link answered, “a man who caused a great tragedy.”

Prince Zale nodded understandably, he seemed mostly fixed on Link as if Jin and Keras weren’t standing beside him, and there even seemed something more in his eyes, but Link couldn’t decipher it. “I hope for your victory in anyway it comes.”

Link enjoyed speaking to the prince, but when he and his friends separated from him while Prince Zale went back to his emissaries about the mess of his Domain. Link followed Jin who stood near the railing, looking over at the waters below where the blood was still thick, including debris of broken arrows, bows, and even pieces of trees that were moving towards the river’s mouth that frothed white.

Jin was annoyed.

Link knew him long enough to understand the tension. He read it as much as he hated knowing about it as they grew up. It was clear as day, a tension so sharp that Link almost wanted to follow Keras who was tending to some Zora’s that were cleaning up the bodies, and moving them from the bridge and stairways.

“The Prince was flirting with you,” Jin states with a touch of heat, his gaze darkened upon the waters below, but there was also a hint of sadness in his voice, something that was there Link didn’t pick up on.

He pressed his back against the railing, crossing his arms over his chest. “It was proper courtesy. We saved his Domain, his life.”

Jin shakes his head, letting out an annoyed sound. “You’re unaware as always.”

Link frowned, he hated when he fought with Jin, even back in their village, Jin would get mad at Link for the smallest things. He was never given a real answer to why that was, and the next day, or even a few days after, Jin would get over it.

This time, it seemed different than before. “What do you mean?” Link asked.

“Dira’s returned,” Keras said, appearing beside Link. She was cleaned up unlike him and Jin, and didn’t smell of blood and death, as she continued, “With Ekos and the two guardsmen.”

She led them toward the main floor and along the bridge where Link caught sight of Dira, including the guards who Prince Zale had sent carrying Ekos.

Dira walked with a slow gait, her shirt was bloody and soaked with water. She wore a wearing expression as they carried Ekos away until she noticed them standing to the side.

“You’re all okay,” she said, making her way over to them.

“What, did you think we died?” Jin asked, a smile on his face as he stood away from Link who had tucked his hands into his pockets.

“From the look of your clothes, I’d say one of you should’ve,” Dira said, laughing, but gave Link a pointed look as he had more blood on his tunic than Jin.

“We managed,” Link told her, glancing back where the guardsmen had taken Ekos. “How is she?”

“She’ll survive,” Dira said, her expression falling again, “Ero is Eko’s older brother. When you three left, he expressed he didn’t want to trust us, we’re outsiders, but he had no choice. He was adamant about it, but I managed to help her as much I can. I think that eased his hostility.”

Link glanced down at the necklace Dira was clutching around her neck. The one her sister had given her, and her hands were shaking as she held it.

“I was afraid,” Dira said, her voice breaking, looking at them, “that someone else would die...like Nila. I held her, my sister, when she died, and I thought...I thought…” tears began to form at the brim of her eyes, and Keras pulled her into an embrace as Dira sobbed, “I thought I would have to do it over again.”

Link lowered his head while Dira cried in Keras’s arms. Was it too hard for her to do this? There must be a decision made, if not, then how were they going to continue their journey? He knew Dira wanted to come with them, she wanted to avenge her sister. It was too much, right now. Death had stepped onto their path, covered it completely.

Jin was speaking to another Zora who was too awkward to interrupt. He returned to them, glancing at Link, and then at Keras and Dira as he said, “Tera will show us our rooms.”

Dira stayed close to Keras as they followed Tera along the upper tiers of the walkways. Once they came to their shared room, Dira laid on the bed, soft and plush for their kind, covered in a blanket while Keras sat on the side of the bed, and Link adjacent from her on the second bed beside them. Jin was changing his clothes in the next room.

Showering and changing had done more than Link expected. His hair was soft without the blood, and one of the Zora’s had given him an ointment to help the burning from the monster’s blood that sprayed on his skin. He also changed, and another Zora offered to wash their clothing for them.

He was sitting in simple blue shorts and a white t-shirt when he declared his decision, “We’ll leave Dira here.”

“What?” Dira said, sitting up and glaring at Link. She was also cleaned off, and in similar clothing to him. “I’m not staying here, Link. That isn’t acceptable.”

Link let out a deep sigh. “Look, I know this is hard to understand, but you’ve been through a lot—”

“Our journey hasn’t even started!”

“I know—”

“You don’t know anything.”

Link grimaced. “Dira, I want you to stay here so you’ll know Ekos will be okay.”

Dira gaped at him, and the energy seemed to diminish her fight as she laid back down.

Keras arched a brow at him and said, “I’m staying here with Dira, in case another attack happens. Is heading for the Lost Woods tomorrow your plan?”

Link nodded as Jin entered the room, wearing the exact same clothing as Link and Dira, he glanced between them, confused by their reactions. “I’ll take Jin with me.”

“What’s going on?” he asked, closing the door and flopping down on the bed behind Link.

Link glanced over his shoulder at him. Jin’s hair was wet from washing away the same amount of blood, and there was a small cut on his face, not enough to create a deep scar, but enough that it’ll linger, even if the ointment repaired the skin. “You’re coming with me to the Lost Woods.”

“Tomorrow?” Jin asked, hugging the pillow and closing his eyes.

“Then it’s decided,” Keras said, pushing Dira over and getting under the covers, “if we’re not awake, have a safe journey.”

“Be safe,” Dira muttered from under the blankets.

Link flicked off the light and crawled beside Jin. By the time the morning came around, they were quiet as they changed into their clean and repaired tunics while the women slept. They left the room, and it was early enough that most of the Zora’s were already asleep.

The walkways and bridges were cleaned of the blood, and even the water below weren’t as dark as the previous day. Yet the stink of blood and death lingered in the cool air as they ventured away from the Zora’s Domain.

Jin seemed to cling to his side since they left, helping him around the rocks and curving roads as the dappled sunlight streaked through the trees and past the slanted mountain sides covered in grass, and at the bottom near the rivers was moss that thickened upon the rocks.

“Sorry,” Jin said, stepping back as they found the last of the bridges that led them out into the Hyrule Plains, “I didn’t mean too—”

Link shook his head, marveling over the morning sunlight upon the grass that glowed a golden light. “No. It reminds of something.” Far away in the singing glen where the forest spoke a language he no longer understood.

Jin fell quiet, the tension pulling again as Link stayed fixated on the Hyrule Plains, and his voice came out quiet, yet harsh, “You mean, someone.”


	15. Best Of Friends

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Link falls into another memory, and Jin cuts up an apple for them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some chapters will be shorter than most.

She basked in warm sunlight and wrapped by the winds upon a bright blue bird. Her laughter always made him smile, allowed him to forget that sometimes he liked to sleep in, miss classes, and get a scolding from the teachers. She reminded him to eat when he forgot, his mind only on his own bird, the only red bird among their peers, once in a lifetime. Yet, it didn’t bother her, they knew each other since they were kids, best of friends, and she helped him get changed, washed up, and dragged him to school with words he barely focused on. He’d rather be sleeping under the shade of a tree. 

She was always there, until she wasn’t.

Link isn’t sure, but the haze slows his pace in the tall grass, the sun still high in the sky, and he knows an hour has passed since they left the Zora’s Domain. Except he’s not entirely sure what’s wrong until even his own thoughts have stopped. 

“Link?” Jin called, he was up ahead, something had annoyed him and he refused to speak to Link, but now, he rushes back, brows furrowed as he takes Link by the shoulders and repeats his name, except he says nothing and it seems to hit Jin what is happening. 

“Now?” Jin asked, squeezing Link’s biceps, but he doesn’t react to the stinging pain of Jin’s hold until his friend lets go. Confliction flits onto his face before he takes Link’s hand in his and gives him a weak smile. “Come on, we might as well ride it out, right?”

He isn’t sure where Jin is taking him, but his eyes stay focused on the blue sky, and puffy clouds are flowing in. Is it going to rain later on today? On days like these, the sky itself called for him, yet he could never touch it. Not like this.

They climb up a hill where several trees are set, and Jin places a hand on Link’s shoulder, helping him sit down against the tree. It reminds him of a doll. His body unable to move even how much he wants too. His heart hurts, as if that too will stop soon. 

Jin disappeared for a bit, and when he returns, he set his sword down, and passes Link an apple. Except Link doesn’t take it, he doesn’t even look at it. His hold wavers, but Jin pulls back, setting the apples on a cloth before him, he takes out a knife, and cuts the apple and discarding the peelings, before cutting more pieces off, thicker ones, and he knows Link won’t eat the entirety of it.

Breaking off a smaller piece, he lightly pulls on Link’s jaw, opening his mouth with little struggle, and places the apple inside. Closing his mouth, Jin frowns at him when Link doesn’t chew on the sweet cool apple slice.

“Maybe you’ll enjoy the juices,” Jin says, sitting back down, peeling the second apple, and eating the pieces. “I’m not even sure if you’re listening, but I’ve felt this frustration since we left the village. I’m not complaining about helping people, I liked that, helping the Zora’s, and anyone else who comes along our path.” He sighs, before humming, as if he doesn’t want to say the wrong thing.

Link still has the apple sitting on his tongue, the juices are cool in his mouth, but his focus is merely on the sky itself, listening to Jin humming, and the soft wind around them, including the crickets in the grass. 

“I’m frustrated because,” Jin says, and it seems he finally figured out the words he wanted to say, “of the memories you experience. The pain you go through, and I can’t do anything to help you, but to make sure you’re okay while you deal with it. I guess that’s enough, right?” 

Even his own breathing is hard to control when his body refuses to move. He struggles until Jin opens his mouth again, taking the apple out, and wiping away the drool from the corner of his mouth. He wore a neutral expression, not minding in the least as he sets the apples he didn’t cut into a bag they had brought with them since leaving Akyllan. 

Jin mentions that he’ll share the others later, going back to humming as he eats the remaining pieces. 

“My feelings don’t matter,” Jin says softly, “but I can’t stop feeling jealous.” He chuckles, annoyed. “I want to keep you all to myself. It’s irritating, I tried getting rid of it as we grew older, but it never helped. I only managed to ruin a bunch of relationships.”

More drool leaves the side of Link’s mouth, but Jin doesn’t notice. He whispers Paka’s name as he plays with a piece of grass, folding it, and whistling before ripping it up. 

“I don’t want you to die,” Jin murmurs, wiping away the drool and leaning against Link, “and I don’t want you to be the Hero.”

It started out as a terrible shock in his heart, broken into pieces that he couldn’t fathom it. His fists curled as he slammed them against the amber stone that harbored his friend within. The girl with golden hair, a smile so precious on the other side, as tears ran down his face. 

All he wanted was for them to go back to the way they were. Happy. Before they became who they are. A trap, a destiny that is more of an endless fate. One he declared upon them when he took the Goddesses sword, and became her Knight. 

Link blinked, he leaned his head against Jin’s who had fallen asleep, and a tear rolled down his cheek. 


	16. A Fire Grows & The Wood Awaits

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Link is annoyed by Jin, and they head for the Lost Woods.

Link and Jin arrived to Fairhaven. The warm air had made their clothes heavier, and the sweat beading on their skin, and through the strands of their short hair. It was one of the villages that rebuilt itself after the war, and apparently was a lot smaller than some other known villages. 

Link led Jin toward a tavern where they bought a room. The day had worn itself out, and they were both tired as they were about to head upstairs when Link ran into a girl with brown braided hair along her shoulder. Her pointed ears stuck out from the strands, and she wore a brown shirt that bared her shoulder. She was smiling widely at him as she stood in their way. 

Jin glanced between the girl and Link and opened his mouth, “Excuse—”

The girl placed a hand at Jin, silencing him, “I’m Cana. You two look new around Fairhaven, fatigued even. I say you’re on such a long journey.”

Link chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck, and almost glared at Jin when he flicked his fingers, “No. It’s...there’s something that happens, and we’d rather make sure that it doesn’t happen again.”

“Oh, I guess that makes sense,” she chuckled, “you’re so pretty for someone who’s on a journey. Surely when you’re older, you’ll marry a farm girl, or even a pretty barmaid like myself.”

Link blinked, surprised by the compliments. “Thank you, I think.”

Jin let out a sigh, and grasped Link’s wrist. “If you’re finished, we’d like to go to our room and rest.” Even Link heard the ire in his voice as Cana stepped to the side, her expression turning sour as she muttered, “jealous idiots,” while Jin dragged Link up the stairs. 

Once they reached the top of the stairs, Jin was still held onto Link’s arm as they walked along the hall to their room. 

“Thanks,” Link said, hoping to calm Jin down from whatever annoyance that seemed to piss him off yet again, “I didn’t really want to talk to her anyway.”

Jin shook the doorknob of the room, and stopped, slowly turning to give Link an odd expression, one that Link figured was disbelief. “Give me the key.”

Link passes him the key when Jin lets go of his sleeve. He unlocks the door and they step inside. He already misses Keras and Dira’s presence, they always find a way to defuse the situation when Jin grows silent and indifferent. 

“Do you notice when people romantically like you?” Jin asked, dropping the key on the desk across from the bed and sat down, looking to Link with a frown.

Link stands awkwardly in front of the door, shrugging his shoulders as he marvels at the small room. “I don’t care if people like me, I’m not interested in anyone like that.” He’s still a little hazy from earlier, his chest is still heavy by the memory that has faded since. It’s almost a residual, his heart remembers, but his mind doesn’t. As the night began to overtake the sky, he felt a loss when the sun began to set. 

The day truly flew by them when they sat under the apple tree. 

His answer doesn’t seem to appease Jin’s already irritable mood. He takes off his coat, his tunic, and his chain mail. He’s more careful with his things, and while doing this, he doesn’t once glance at Link until he crawls under the blankets, facing away from Link who is still standing awkwardly in front of the door. 

It makes it worse when there’s only one bed in the room. Link lets out a sigh, knowing he keeps on irritating Jin while taking off his own clothes. He isn’t sure what he’s saying or doing that’s entirely wrong. Jin is simply angry and he’s not outright telling him what it is. 

It’s been a long day. 

Link turns off the light and carefully lies down, already feeling Jin’s heat under the blankets as he closes his eyes. 

There’s something else that interests him about their journey. Maybe one day it’ll even matter to them to some extent, but he wants to find Princess Zelda. He expresses this warily to Jin who grunts. 

“You’ll find her.”

“I know,” Link says, closing his eyes and murmuring, “I just want to meet her, Princess Zelda.” 

Sleep almost pulls him under when Jin’s side of the bed shifts, and there’s a soft sigh against his back, Jin wraps an arm around Link’s side, pulling him close, and cuddling against him. 

Link sleepily welcomes the warmth and comfort. It helps him fall asleep quicker with a more added weight against his side.

It’s traditional for her to wear white, she twirls, wanting only Link to see her before the following day of the tournament. And while she smiles at him, her form begins to change before him. His heart settles, not from pain, but of relief, as this Zelda has golden accessories, and her voice is soft, even how harsh she can be. 

Her smile is as bright as the sun, her eyes kind yet fierce, while her temper is short, but makes up for it for the kindness she displays. 

He smiles at her, and she understands him right away. She knows him as much as he knows her, and their friendship grew from this as the walls she created around her, broke apart. 

Link wakes from the dream, blinking his eyes open and finds himself leaned against Jin’s chest, an arm across his abdomen, while Jin’s own arm is behind his head, the other, holding Link close to him. He’s still asleep while Link sits up, stretching his arms and letting out a yawn.

There were times when he and Jin would have sleepovers at each other’s houses. Mostly his, since Link didn’t have a family, it was easier to do what they wanted. They used to make forts throughout the house, cook up whatever they wanted, and laugh at Dira and Keras before inviting them in. 

They were kids, but even this, sleeping together in the same bed, it was normal to Link who carefully got out of the bed and stretched some more. 

Link staggers out of the room and walks down the hall to the washroom. He closes the door, and sprays water on his face, before using his sleeve to dry his face. He didn’t trust the towel that looked as if it hadn’t been replaced in some time. 

After he left the washroom, Link strolled down the hallway and before he turned the corner to the staircase, he ran into Cana. This time she wore a dark blue fitted tunic with brown buttons along the collar. Brown trousers, and brown flats. She blinked at him, and smiled.

“Good morning, I didn’t even get your name the other night before your boyfriend interrupted. I mean, he was annoyed, I hope you didn’t get into too much trouble,” she chuckled, “I didn't hear anything from the room when I made my rounds. Unless he forced you sleep on the floor.”

Link barely knew what she was talking about. He was so tired and his mouth was parched, he needed a drink. “My name’s Link,” he addressed, “and I’m not romantically involved with Jin. We’re friends.” 

Cana blinked, surprised, before she burst out laughing that startled him. “Wow. That’s something,” she said, her cheeks flushed, “no wonder he’s hooked, you’re an idiot. Must really piss him off.” 

Link opened his mouth to rebuke her claim, but she walked off, laughing to herself. It was too early for this as he descended the staircase to the main floor of the tavern. There were barely any patrons, unlike the other night, and he walked over to the cook and asked for a cup of water, and some fruit for him and his friend. 

He paid for the food, tapping his foot as he waited for the man who brought the fruit in a small basket, including a cup of water that Link quickly drank, passing him back the cup, and taking the basket upstairs to Jin. 

Cana didn’t seem to be anywhere in the hall as he returned to the room. Once he walked inside, he found Jin awake with a placid expression on his face, unlike last night when all he did was ignore him with an air of displeasure. He resumed looking through his pack as Link set the basket onto the desk next to the key. 

“I ran into Cana,” Link tells Jin as he sits on the bed, watching Jin go tense from the name, “she thought we were together. Can you believe that? I told her we’re friends, I could’ve gone on that we used to make forts back at my house, but I don’t think she’d believe it.”

“Is this going anywhere?” Jin asked, tense.

Link frowned at his reaction, a pang in his heart as he glanced away from Jin. Every time he tried talking to Jin, he’s angry, even now, a new day has started and they were going to head for the Lost woods since they deviated yesterday because of his...episode. 

Maybe...this was a bad idea.

Link stood up from the bed, and when the sudden thought entered his head, it continued to hurt when he turned around and spoke those cruel words, “You don’t have to come with me to the Lost Woods.”

Jin had gone still again, except this time, he dropped his bag and turned around. Link expected the same old blank expression, but instead, Jin scowled in irritation. It made him feel small, that his friend could easily become this annoyed at him. 

“Do you want me to leave?” Jin asked, standing up. 

Link is sure this is what he hates about their relationship. “No. I don’t—”

“Then what is it, Link? Why do you want me to leave? Why is it an opti—”

“Because you’re mad over nothing,” Link interrupted, breathing hard, while curling his fingers at his sides. “You’ve been like this since we left the Zora’s Domain, and it’s not something I want to deal with while I have to deal with everything else!” 

Jin says nothing, taken back by Link’s words, and even he realizes how raw the words were. They came out under harsh gasps that burned his chest, as if his ribs were caving in, his throat tightening. 

He looks away from Link, calming down his own rage. “I’m sorry, maybe being away from home and actually traveling is getting to me. The death toll,” he chuckles, but it’s bitter, “it’s only been two days.” 

Link smiles, but he isn’t sure if he’s happy or sad about this fact. Maybe it would’ve been better if he left without any of his friends. Except he wouldn’t have gotten anywhere without them. 

“We need to clear our heads, know what we’re doing, and stop getting mad at each other for nonsense,” Link says, and he does note Jin’s tense posture, before even that smooths out, and Jin finally nods. 

Link passes Jin the basket of fruit and he changes into his travel clothing again. He looks over the fabric where the Zora’s had stitched up any slashes from the monsters they fought back in Zora’s Domain. He isn’t sure if it’ll make up for what they’ll going up against next, and Jin offers they look around Fairhaven for new clothing. 

Once they change back into their clothes, and they’ve eaten. The tension is still thick in the air between them as they leave. They don’t run into Cana this time, and Link feels that same relief as Jin seems to feel once they leave the tavern. 

He still wished that Dira and Keras could’ve traveled with them, but it doesn’t matter. They head out into Fairhaven, and with the new day and the sun shining upon the village, the houses are well made, cut stone layer the sides, flowers and tall trees shadow parts of the village itself. While gardens are settled on the farther end of the village. 

Children run by as they find themselves in a clothing store where they buy new tunics and boots. They change, eating while they watch a group of travelers fire arrows at wooden posts, making bets amongst each other. 

By noon, Link and Jin leave Fairhaven with the tension between them dissipating by the second. They managed to get directions before they left, the man was wary of the place, and asked why they wanted to go there. They didn’t give a reason, but the man told them where it was, and a few hours later, they stood at its wide entrancing, yet terrifying entrance.

It was dark inside, a coolness drifted upon the ground around their feet, but the smell of nature was thick in the air. As if it had rained around the parts recently, a beautiful scent surrounding them. 

Jin lets out a sigh, “Do you remember anything?” 

“Not specifically,” Link tells him, his heart racing, a familiarity clings to each beat inside his chest, “I walked along several paths, sometimes I got lost.”

Jin expression dulled at Link’s answer. “I heard that when Hylian’s get lost, they never return. The path itself eludes them, they die inside this infamous wood, some even turn into skull kids. Lingering spirits.”

“No,” Link whispers, shaking his head, “only Kokiri children turn into Skull Kids.”

“A what?” Jin asked, frowning, “Kokiri? I never heard of that term. The only one I’ve heard were of the Korok’s, the forest spirits.”

Link smiled at the name. “They were spirits that accommodate the Hero, children of the forest.” He reaches into his pocket and takes out a photo of the girl, showing it to Jin who narrows his eyes at her.

Malon.

It’ll take awhile for Jin to come to terms with his anger, but for now, Link ignored it. There was a strong pulse coming from the place. He wanted to go in, he knew this place. “When I was a child,” he began, his heart racing, and he smiles wide, “I lived with them, they were children because it was better for me to live with beings that were like me. When I grew and died, they no longer needed those forms anymore. They disappeared deeper within the wood, and the Great Deku Tree changed them into Koroks.”

Link smiles at Jin who’s staring at him peculiarity. “Come on. I’m sure the Skull Kid won’t mind us being here. He likes playing games, he’s been like that for a long time.” 

Jin followed him into the wood, the mist thickening around them into a fog of gangly trees and round bushes. He told Jin not to touch the fruits or anything that looked suspicious. 

Link began to hum a song, one that resonated in his mind. He didn’t know it, but at the same time, he did, a friend somewhere deep inside the wood. She played the song many times, and he cared about her so much that he recalled the song, set it inside his soul so he would always remember it. 

Jin grasped his arm, stopping him in the middle of the path. Link blinked, frowning at Jin who glanced around them. “Do you hear that?”

“Hear what?” Link asked. 

“Laughter,” Jin whispered, “I hear someone laughing.”

There’s someone mocking him, a young boy in front of him, and a white fairy appears. Speaking quick as she tells him what to do, where to go, that their time is running out. And she was gone, and he looked, and looked, but he couldn’t find her. 

Jin yanked Link closer to him, glancing to one tree to the next until his entire body goes still while he stares at something. Link turns, following where Jin is staring and sees it on a branch. Leaves flutter to the ground from above, and the laughter had grown, an echo, while it holds a flute in its wooden hands. 

It’s swinging its legs back and forth, smiling down at them. A child between time, never changing its form like the others, trapped within one that would not age.

It laughs like a child, and moves fast, a trail of leaves and twigs fall from where it’s landing, until it appears on the ground before them. Turning its head to the side, clutching its flute. 

“I know you,” it spoke, a child, something ancient within its form. 

He knows, and its a bewildered experience as Link stares at it, listening to it laugh, because he never thought it would address him the way that it did. 

“Skull Kid,” Link says. 


	17. Earth & Root

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jin isn't sure what's happening, but Link is affected by the Skull Kid.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I guess Jin and anyone else's POV will be a lot shorter than Link's. :) \
> 
> I hope you enjoy this chapter.
> 
> Comments and/or Kudo's are appreciative.

Jin unsheathed his blade from his scabbard and pointed it toward the creature. Glaring into its eyes while it laughed, waving the flute in its hand while a flurry of leaves spun in the air with the sway of the wind. He didn’t care if it and Link introduced each other. Somehow, Link knew what it was, and somehow, it also knew who he was. The familiarity was not lost on Jin as he gripped the handle, about to step in front of Link if he had too.

Link reached for his arm, “Jin,” he began, but the creature, the _Skull Kid_ , began to blow into its flute, producing the same kind of music that Link was humming not too long ago. And the sound of it, louder, clearer, seemed to spark a sharp pain in Link’s head as he yelped, fingers finding the sides of his head.

“Link,” Jin said, his heart racing as he turned, cradling Link against him as Link breathed hard with eyes squeezed tight.

_It’s hurting him._

Jin snapped his eyes to the creature, glaring, “Stop. You’re hurting him!”

It stopped, laughing and pointing at Link.

There was something that bothered him since Link called him out back in Fairhaven. An uncertainty that kept returning to his thoughts, and he knew he was cowardice to think of it, but he didn’t want to do this. He only seemed to step into one crisis and into another. All of it strange when all he did back in Akyllan was help the kids, fish with the adults, and spend his days trying to ignore Link while dating any of his willing peers.

Now, he wants to protect Link, and he’ll have to push away those cowardice thoughts from his mind. He desired to protect him, even from creatures like this Skull Kid in front of him, dancing among the leaves and twigs he flared in the air, spinning around him upon the dappled sunlight through the thick fog.

“I know him,” it said, “a long time ago, seeped in Twilight and Time. He died in the ravages of fire and steel. The Hero has fallen to the ground, buried beneath the blood of his sword that was taken back to its pedestal.”

“What?” Jin asked in disbelief, a pain throbbing with each beat of his heart. “What are you talking about?”

“We played in these woods,” Skull Kid sang, the wind picked up green to golden and red leaves, spinning them around Skull Kid’s dancing form, “and when I cried aching tears, he gave me a mask to don, so I can scare my foes and I watched the innocent lose their way deep within the wood. Their bones twined in earth and root.”

A shiver ran up Jin’s skin, gripping Link to his side as Skull Kid drew closer, smiling at Link and ignoring Jin entirely.

“The Hero has fallen,” Skull Kid said, amused, “his blade returned, the sword that seals the darkness slumbers. I played a cruel game, and now he has stepped back within the wood.” It doesn’t seem to mind the sword in his face, smiling up at Jin when Link screams and falls to his knees.

“Link,” Jin reaches out, but Link begins to mutter incoherently, fingers tightening in his hair as he lets out a sob from his throat. Jin didn’t know what was wrong with him, the moment the Skull Kid had played the song, the one that Link seemed to have made up on the spot, Jin had never heard of it before, and now this has happened.

What was going on? Should they have come here?

He hadn’t noticed, but the Skull Kid stepped closer, placing a hand on Link’s trembling shoulder. And spoke a question that made Jin shudder, even his hold on his sword wavered, “Have you come to play, Link of this Era?”


	18. Forest Spirits & The Sword

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Link and Jin follow the Skull Kid to the sword.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love the Skull Kid. He's an interesting, mysterious character, and I would like to write more about him in a different fic someday if I ever get an idea for him. :) I mostly liked him in Twilight Princess, possibly because TP!Link is my favorite! :D
> 
> I hope you enjoy.
> 
> Comments and/or Kudo's are appreciative.

The memories were shrouded with a thick fog, something he felt he should know, began to fade from his mind, including the pain that followed close behind. He blinked his eyes, wet with tears that barely squeezed through. He slowly raised his head and found himself staring into Skull Kid’s eyes.

“Has those memories smothered you?” Skull Kid asked, and it was nudged back by Jin who held his sword in his hand, glaring at Skull Kid who laughed. 

Link sniffled, pushing himself to his feet and placing a hand on Jin’s, “It’s alright. Skull Kid is a trickster, but it doesn’t mean anything it does. It’s not dangerous?”

Jin gave an incredulous scoff, “I hardly doubt that. You were just on your knees, screaming in pain.” He slid his sword back into its scabbard. 

“You do remember,” Skull Kid said, bringing their attention back to it. 

He wasn’t sure if his memories were returning to him. It was all a mix of images flowing through his head, tidbits of information, names, and sceneries. Places he has never been too, a time he has never visited. And yet, he partially recalled his own past, it took awhile for him to sort them out, knowing which weren’t his own. 

“I met you in different era’s,” Link told Skull Kid, “I’m curious, how are you still alive all this time?” 

It laughed, dancing among the flowing leaves as it placed its mouth to the flute and began playing the same song from earlier. The song that Link knew in his heart, and there was no sharp pain in his head, nothing that throbbed besides a deep longing he didn’t understand.

They followed Skull Kid along the pathway. Overgrown with grass, shrubs, upturned roots, and thick trees. They had to climb over a few, and walk around several trees while keeping up with Skull Kid who still danced and played the song. 

“The Lost Woods sustain that illusion,” Skull Kid said, slowing down, its voice sounded otherworldly, and even with the fog, it seemed a part of it, bouncing to one end to the next, “I’m alive while its alive. It holds my life in its place, the age of my mind lacks duration, and in turn, my soul has become the forest. Untouched by time itself.” Skull Kid extended its arms and danced with the fog that parted and pulled, flowing around it on a more clearer path than the ones they traversed earlier. “I felt your entry, your fallen steps, but also your exact steps. You remember this place as I do. And in turn, I revealed myself to you, Link.”

Jin frowned, brushing away his dark strands from his face. “I feel like he’s been dragging us in a circle.” Looking down at his feet, there were stepped in grass and forgotten leaves. 

“It’s the essence of this wood,” Link tells Jin, “if anything it  _ could _ be leading us in circles, and we could forget for however long it wants to play this game.”

“Is there a more positive note to this?” Jin asked. 

Link shrugged and smiled, “I don’t think so, we just have to trust it.” The wind died down, but there was something else around them, he can feel it around the trees and in the tall grass. Link reached down for a sliced off piece of grass, twirling it in his fingers before letting it flutter to the ground. “I think there’s something or someone with us.”

“Besides Skull Kid?” Jin asked, looking unimpressed at Skull Kid’s dancing while it played its flute. 

Link looked around, trying to seek what he senses, but there’s nothing. “It’s watching us…” A slight twinkling sound was heard within the fog, followed by a streak of rustling grass as if something moved through it, several leaves fluttered into the air before falling back where it was on the ground. 

“It’s familiar,” Link says, “this place.” He knows it is, being within the Lost Woods reminds him of that memory that eluded him when the Skull Kid had first played the song. He knew it so well, that it sat somewhere inside his head, his memory. Never forgotten. Even how hard he tried to recall what it was, all he did manage to well up was a sense of loss. 

Link frowned, letting his shoulders slump. “I wanted to go home...I couldn’t go home,” he whispered to himself. He turns around and walks straight toward Skull Kid who slowed its dancing. “I hear voices,” is the first that leaves his lips, but he’s not sure if that’s what he hears, it’s something more distinct than that.

“Laughing,” Skull Kid offers, “you hear the Children of the Wood laughing. They’ve been waiting for you to return, the Hero to release the blade from the pedestal, but most have died since the Great Deku Tree fell in a deep slumber, never to be awakened with any attempt.” Skull Kid danced again, moving in circles around Link and Jin before making its way toward another path with trampled on grass and forgotten leaves, “The Koroks couldn’t sustain themselves, and they perished soon after, becoming the wood itself alongside me.” 

“They...died?” Jin says, uneasy. 

Link doesn’t like what the Skull Kid has said. He isn’t sure what he’s meant to feel, but it’s enough of a shock that words fail him. 

“They are there,” Skull Kid continues, laughing, “not physically, unlike me.”

They entered a clearing, but the fog is still thick while Link stands in the center, trying to understand what the Skull Kid had told them. Jin kept his eyes on the Skull Kid, muttering comments about it. 

It was dancing, plucking some red and purple berries from a bush and dancing its way toward them. It disregarded Jin and stood in front of Link, passing him the berries with the innocence of a child.

Link was about to reach for some, but Jin grasped his wrist and yanked him back. He wasn’t looking at him, and Link blinked, perplexed at Jin’s anger at the Skull Kid. “Those are poisonous.” 

Link brushes Jin’s hand off of him, surprising Jin by saying, “Skull Kid has always been like this. He means no harm.”

“He tried to poison you,” Jin says, grudgingly. 

Skull Kid laughs, eating the poisoned berries. “Only poisonous to Hylian’s.” He went back to playing his flute, to the same old song as he danced around Link and Jin, nudging Jin in the leg, and laughing at him while Jin swore at it. 

“The wood knows you heart and soul,” Skull Kid went on while Link thought of what they were going to do after they found the Great Deku Tree, there was a small part of him that was afraid he might not be able to pull the sword out. He inspected the mark on his hand when he took off his glove, smoothing his fingers over it. Only when he fought for his friends is when it glowed, but even now, it glowed a faint golden light. Maybe walking within the Lost Woods was some kind of courage. It’s not like anyone would wander in, afraid to get lost and trapped without a proper guide.

“A nice farm girl sings for a young soldier,” Skull Kid said, mostly speaking to Jin who swatted at it whenever it got close to him, laughing at Jin’s attempts, “one day, maybe she’ll catch his heart more than you with a knack of an hour’s worth of infatuations. Wasting time between girl and boy in the shade, forcing yourself to stop thinking about  _ him _ .”

Jin let out an aggravated sound, “H-How did you know about that?” he hissed. 

Skull Kid laughed and played his flute. 

Link lets out a sigh, turning to face Skull Kid and ignoring Jin’s flushed face, “Can you show us the way to the Great Deku Tree? We can’t stay here for long, we have to return to our friends.” He can’t stop feeling eyes on him, crawling along his back, his shoulders, his brown hair. Their laughter is more coherent than earlier, their twinkling sounds as if they held bells in their hands as they moved to one area to the next. 

“Of course,” Skull Kid said, skipping toward a path that parted for it, “lost Hero among the lost kin. We’ll lead you to your fate.”

They traversed through the rest of the Lost Woods and finally the wind wasn’t as cold that it seeped in his clothing, making even his own hair stiff. There was warmth as they entered the glen, a warm light shown upon the flower beds sitting around an old structure before an overly large tree. 

Link slowed his pace as his eyes found the glinting metal of the sword. There it is. Myths and legends and many of Garik’s stories had brought him to this moment. The mark on his hand, his friend’s, the lives that were taken and the ones that were still clinging to life. It sat in the pedestal, formed in a triangle of the three Goddesses. 

It was real. 

The Blade of Evil’s Bane.

Jin nudged him, and Link met his eyes, “Are you okay?” 

Link nodded, overwhelmed. “Yeah. I...never thought—”

“That it could be real?” Jin said.

“Yeah,” Link stared at the blade and walked towards it, his heart racing, a strong pressure pulled him to it, a need in his bones, his senses, his mind, told him this was his to touch, his to take, it was his and no one else’s.

“Many have tried to take the sword for themselves,” Skull Kid said, snickering, “when they found their way, they would spend days trying to pull the sword from the pedestal with no luck, and even when they attempted to leave, they couldn’t find the path to the outside, and eventually lost their way like many others. They would die in the Woods depths, forgotten.”

“You could’ve helped them,” Jin remarks, a hand on his hip as he glared at Skull Kid. 

“I could have,” Skull Kid says, laughing, “but it was funny when they lost hope.”

Link was too focused on the blade than on Jin and Skull Kid’s conversation. The blade, there were so many memories flickering in his head as he walked towards it, many different versions who had found their way there, who had come upon it with hope and devotion. 

_ “Pull the blade from the pedestal.”  _

A voice. Unlike the ones in the woods, and the memories inside his head, this one was different, it pulsed from the blade itself. A woman’s voice, soft and sure, she knew him as much as he knew her. 

_ “This is your fate. You are the Hero, Link, you must pull the blade from the pedestal, and to prove to the world you will save it.” _

He knew she was right, but there was also a strong pain in his heart, one that made him weak in the legs as he closed his eyes, his mouth parch, and a strong urge to run. 

Another voice entered his head, this one more masculine, softer in tone, as it said with certainty.

_ “You don’t want this, you never wanted this, do not touch the sword.” _


	19. The Great Deku Tree

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Link releases the sword and speaks to the Great Deku Tree.

Link’s heart swelled from the decisions he had to make as he stood in front of the sword. Taking a deep breath, Link raised his head at the Great Deku Tree. Like what Skull Kid had told them, the Great Deku Tree was truly asleep. It did not snore as Link had thought up, and he scowled at himself. It was a stupid, but nonetheless one that entered his mind. 

The Great Deku Tree itself looked like any other tree he and Jin wandered by when they arrived to the resting place of the sword. This one a lot more thicker in the trunk, and the branches and leaves were wider, flourishing, a deep brown all along it besides some distinct markings on the base where Link guessed one of the people who managed to find their way to the sanctuary, attempted to take the sword, carved their initials quite crudely on the side. There were vines around it, blocking it from sight. 

Link returned his gaze to the sword. The voices in his head were no longer there, fading away like the soft wind he had felt earlier. The golden sun spilled upon the lush green grass, bushes and trees. This place itself was beautiful, a sanctuary for the forest spirits, and of Skull Kid, but Link knew it would rather wander the wood instead. 

Link sighed once more, this is what he wanted, needed, since he became the hero, since his awakening. He needed this sword, and his entire body pulsed for the exact reason. 

No more hesitating. Link took the sword by the handle, gripping it, and smiling at the familiarity in his body, a wave of energy singing in his veins, his breath, his thudding heart, and Link pulls it from the pedestal with ease. 

A light breeze releases as it comes free, followed by a strong pulse that pushes past him, and Jin who stands several feet behind him. It’s a surreal feeling, holding the blade in his hand, a sense of knowing as he stares in wonder at it. 

Jin laughs, coming up beside him, a hand on his shoulder as he looks at the sword and at Link. “How does it feel?” he asks, excited as Link felt in his shaky limbs.

“Lighter than I thought,” Link says, truthfully. There was power in the sword, a reverberation in his hand, there was so much of it, and it was only right that he was the one who gripped the sword. It was his, he was chosen to bear it, to fight, and protect others with it.

“Even your mark is glowing,” Jin says.

Link turns his hand, and Jin was right, it was glowing, a golden light like earlier, but brighter and more stronger. Over and over he was reminded that he was the chosen one, and he was given the same response. He is the chosen bearer of Courage.

“It feels...like coming home,” Link said, smiling wide, “knowing that this is mine alone.”

He raises the sword skyward, closing his eyes at the strong pulse pushing around them again. And then he blinks his eyes open, gasping as his ears twitch, a sound coming from before them. A groan as the tree creaked with its movement, the branches extended outwards, small leaves fluttering down to the ground. 

Jin’s hand was on Link’s arm, keeping him steady as he stared, wide eyed and gaping. “It’s stretching?”

The tree blinks, wincing at the sun, but its attention soon falls upon Link and Jin, and mostly on the blade in Link’s hand. There’s a subtle surprise, before the tree lets out a gracious laugh. “Congratulations, Link, you retrieved the sword, and awakened me from the dark spell.” 

Jin leans close to Link, and whispers, “The tree is talking to us…”

Link isn’t exactly focused on that, he steps closer toward the Great Deku Tree, the same that had spoken to him in his dream, and asked, “There was a dark spell on you?”

“Yes,” the Great Deku Tree said, “the Great King placed a dark spell upon me, forcing me into a deep slumber until the sword is released from the pedestal by the chosen Hero. Which is you, Link.”

That was a lot to take in. Link lowered the blade, his stomach twisting at the implication.

“If the Great King placed a spell on you,” Jin spoke up, “then was it wise for Link to take the sword from the pedestal?” 

“Either if it was good or bad, Link needed to take the sword,” the Great Deku Tree said, “it’s the only way for him to destroy the Great King and his hoards. A lot more useful than the blades you already carry.”

Jin glanced down at his sword while Link stared at the Master Sword. That was the proper name for it, Garik had spoken about it with two different terms, and many have used one or the other while telling the story. A mysterious sword, one that was magically sealed within a pedestal of the Hyrulian family crest in the Lost Woods. Only ever released by the Hero.

This was too surreal for Link to fathom. 

“The sword was also clarification,” the Great Deku Tree continued.

“Clarification?” Jin asked. 

The Great Deku Tree chuckled, amused by Jin’s inquiries while Link stayed quiet, “To take up the challenge of being the chosen Hero. Now the Great King knows you have taken the sword from the pedestal, but the good news is that the Princess also knows.”

Link raised his head at the mention of the Princess. 

“She had spoken to me in the realm of sleep,” The Great Deku Tree explained, “like you had before, Link.” Link ignored Jin’s glance, and waited for the Great Deku Tree to continue. “The Princess’s potential rose before the Great King’s, and obviously, before the Hero.”

Link wrinkled his nose. He knew the Princess was older than him, more mature, and adamant that she would’ve been more aware of herself and the powers she possessed. She had lived in royalty, people around her must’ve made sure she was who she was and trained her accordingly to that specific need. 

Unlike Link who lived in a village and lazed around when he should’ve been helping in the shop, and later fishing with the adults, joking around and listening to their gossip that had little to do with him. And later spending time with Jin, Dira, and Keras. It was a life he was okay with, and now, he was standing in front of a talking tree, with a sword of legend he released from the Pedestal of time, with the crest of a Goddess glowing on his hand.

Would he have done different if he grew up as the Princess had?

“Her family was massacred,” the Great Deku tree spoke sadly, “her Kingdom destroyed, and she was forced to go into hiding. Awaiting the Hero who holds the Blade of Evil’s Bane in his hand.”

She knew, and yet all Link felt was an overwhelming urge to run from the responsibility that was placed on him. Except he knew she wouldn’t have turned her back on her Kingdom. Not when it needed her the most, she was simply waiting for him to awaken. 

“The Great King will attempt to kill you both since the two of you have now surfaced. He waited for the Princess, and he will target her first before finding you, and killing you, Link, you have to be careful now that you hold the sword in your hand,” The Great Deku Tree warned.

He had to shove those heavy feelings down, away from his mind. It was the only way he could handle this.

Link shrugged, indifferent, “Typical. I heard this kind of story before.”

The Great Deku Tree spoke more gravelly, “A story can be altered. Remember that. Once, in a far away legend that has faded in time, the Hero died during battle, and in another era, he never appeared at all. Don’t think you’re so lucky, you may not be in this lifetime.”

Link nodded, the words hitting him hard as he gripped the sword. “I’ll be careful.”

“I am proud of you, Link,” the Great Deku Tree said, “your journey will be difficult, and things might not go your way. Many times, the hero has fallen to his mind, perished alone, suffered many atrocities. He must be strong, with an undeniable will, and courage. Remember that well and keep your head up, you have friends, strength, and spirit.”

Link raised his head, giving the Great Deku Tree a small smile. “Thank you.”

Once they finished speaking to the Great Deku Tree, Link and Jin left the sanctuary, and wandered back into the Lost Woods. Skull Kid was nowhere in sight, and didn’t seem like it wanted to lead them out, but a path appears in the shape of the parting fog. 

Link said nothing to Jin about it, the words faded away, but he could see the shapes of the forest spirits. They are small and wooden with leaves as faces, holding bells and berries that hung from twigs. Laughing, dancing, flying in the air as they surround them, making sure that they’re okay as they make their way out. 

“Thanks,” Link waves as he and Jin stand at the entrance of the Lost Woods. Jin also waves, smiling as he turns to Link, but his good mood seems to fade away once they truly step out of the woods. The air outside is more clearer, not so thick as the fog, and they can actually see ahead of them instead of five or ten feet.  

Link stretches his arms, letting out a yawn. He wonders if they can go back to that tree they were lying against the other day. Maybe eat the apples Jin had taken from the tree, and stay there for a bit before they head back to the Zora’s Domain.

“There’s something bothering me that the Great Deku tree brought up,” Jin tells Link. He faces Jin, raising his brows at his friend who wears a conflicted expression, yet careful with his words as he speaks them, “You died…”

Link nods, “Everyone dies at some point.” 

Jin glares, shaking his head and taking a step closer, “No, Link, people die once in their lifetime, you...you...died multiple times! The Great Deku Tree said you died alone once, and you suffered.”

Link’s not entirely sure why Jin is troubled by this. “I died in battle once, against the Great King,” he tells him, watching Jin’s expression shift into sorrow, “another time, I was alive when I was told that the previous hero hadn’t even lived in that era. A world that flooded, and instead of reincarnating, I incarnated because of that lack of hero. I’m not sure what I’m meant to say, Jin, but that we all die, and for me, unlike the others, I have the memories of my past lives, the ones who bore the spirit of the Hero, I know their lives in rapid snippets, their emotions, their thoughts, their feelings. All surrounding me and filling me up to the point I can’t figure out my own memories, my own thoughts, and my own feelings. All I can do is deal with it. Maybe it would’ve been better if I didn’t know at all. Either way, I walk the same paths they did, one that will not end.”

Jin frowns at him, and there’s a thick silence between them before Jin embraces him. Link isn’t sure what he’s supposed to do, and he wraps his arms around Jin, closing his eyes and letting Jin feel some type of comfort, even if Link can’t return it. 

“I’ll protect you,” Jin whispers against his shoulder, “I promise I will.”

Link smiles, “I’m the one who should be protecting everyone, not you, Jin.”

“That’s what worries me,” Jin says, more confliction makes its way into Jin’s voice, his fingers curling into the fabric of Link’s shirt, “all that responsibility isn’t good for anyone.”

Pulling away at an arm's length, their hands still holding each other as Link smiles at Jin’s frown, “Let’s just focus on what we can handle for now.”

Jin nods, “Okay.”

They start their journey away from the Lost Woods as the sun burns an orange hue mixing with the blue in the sky. It’ll take some time to return to the Zora’s Domain, and Link managed to tempt Jin when he brought up the apple tree. 


	20. Congratulations & Unresolved Fear

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Link and Jin return to the Zora's Domain, he speaks to the Prince, and later a voice speaks to him about the sword he wields, except this voice is malicious.

They were gone longer than they should’ve. Link enjoyed the apples they managed to carry back to the Zora’s Domain. Tossing the cores behind them, and laughing. He’d need a proper scabbard for the Master Sword, it was longer than the one he had taken from Akyllan. Jin helped him carry it, and he remarked it was heavier than it looked, while Link laughed and told him it was light as a cucco’s feather. 

“Link, Jin!” they looked to where the high pitched tone was coming from and found three Zora’s, all tall, shimmering blue under the bright sun above, with silver upon their scales. 

Link recognizes Ero, smiling wide at them. “Hey, Ero,” he said, while Jin nudged him, reminding Link that the other two were Loro and Ruru. “I don’t think I met them,” he tells him.

“It’s good to be polite and remember people’s names,” Jin said, waving at the other Zora’s. “Do you know where Dira and Keras are?” Jin asked when they met up with them by the blue glinting bridge. 

“The Sheikah,” Loro spoke, “stayed with Ekos while she was in recovery, and the Gerudo helped with the dead, including cleaning up the...blood.”

“After a day,” Ero said, rubbing the back of his neck, “they went swimming at the reservoir with Ekos after she became stable. They’re there right now.”

“Thanks, Ero,” Link says.

The Zora’s head off to do inspection upon the pathways and bridges, while Link and Jin wander by a group of Zora’s, and they marvel over the clean floors and staircases that led to the upper tiers. It was beautiful without the monster’s dead bodies, and their blood coating the entirety of the floors. 

Before they could turn to the left bend that would lead them to the lower reservoir, a Zora wandered over to Link and Jin, waving at him. Link recognized him, he had spoken to him before.

“Link,” Naro greeted, beaming at him, “I’m so glad you’ve returned safely from your trip. There’s been buzz since you’ve gone to the Lost Woods.”

“It’s nice to see you too,” Link says, smiling bashfully. 

“Prince Zale wanted to see you the moment he learned you’ve returned,” Naro said, going back to business as he straightened his posture.

Link blinked, surprised. “He wants to see me?”

Jin tapped him on the shoulder, “I’ll inform Dira and Keras where you are, go speak to the Prince.”

Link trembles as he nervously tries to reach for Jin, but he’s already walking away, and when he turns back, Naro is smiling at him. Reluctantly, Link follows Naro to the wide staircase to the second tier where he brings him to the throne room. He’s a little stiff as his pace slows and he stops in front of the prince who’s speaking to another Zora. 

Naro is standing to the side, announcing Link’s entry, and Prince Zale snaps his gaze towards him, his mouth parting before he smiles wide at him. 

“Link, congratulations on returning.” His eyes flit across Link’s frame before coming back to his face. “Now you look like a proper Hero with that magnificent sword of yours, and not just any ordinary sword, but the Blade of Evil’s Bane. One of legend.”

Now he knows why he’s nervous. He may have gotten less of a congratulations towards the people in Akyllan, but at least they knew who he was as a person. Now, he simply wanted to fade into the background where he can calm his rapid heart. 

Taking a deep sigh, he meets the Prince’s eyes and says, “Thank you, Prince Zale, for keeping my friend’s safe in your Domain, even though it has been recently attacked.” 

“It’s enough I can do since you and your friends did save us and many others, including my own life, I should be thanking you more often,” Prince Zale says, rising from his throne, and stepping down the steps toward Link. 

It’s a moment, a flicker of it in his heart, a memory that eases out in different shapes he isn’t sure how he’s meant to form them. A princess surrounded by water, one that spoke in stubborn words, while another, she was softer, more quiet in her affection.

It was so quick that Link hadn’t any time to process it until Prince Zale stood in front of him. His smile was sincere as he took Link’s hand, his gaze hard to look away from as his cheeks warmed. 

“I admire you, Link, that you can do the things that you do. To leave home and take up a sword and to save people with it, you hold courage for someone so inexperienced,” Prince Zale said, “I hope one day I can be like you.”

It’s not what he expected, but it was enough for him to accept Prince Zale’s words. “You will,” Link tells him, “you’re already a great person, and I’m sure one day, you’ll also be a great king to your people.”

Prince Zale squeezes his hand softly, “You’re a good friend, Link.” Letting his hand go and placing them behind his back. “I’m glad you returned from your journey, I’m sure you want to see your friends, so I won’t take anymore of your time.”

Link bowed, “Thank you, Prince Zale.” And he hurried from the room, his heart racing, and his hand warm. He isn’t sure why he’s affected so much by others, and once Dira had told him it was probably because his parents weren’t around to give him that type of affection. Keras had also said that Link rarely dated anyone to understand the difference. Whatever that meant.

On his way to the lower reservoir, he came upon Jin, and he was standing behind a pillar, shadowed by the tier above him. And he didn’t stand alone, there was a Zora with him, one that Link also recognized. She was the same Zora who brought Ekos to Fado Lake with Eros. 

Alura. She seemed quite smitten with Jin in whatever conversation they were having. It was a familiar sight to Link, he had found Jin in these types of places before in Akyllan. He liked to flirt, and spent his time enjoying their company away from others, including Link, Dira, and Keras. 

This time, it’s a bit different and Link finds himself standing and staring with a sinking feeling in his chest. He shakes his head, and steps closer, nervous about interrupting, but wills the courage to clear his throat and speak, “Jin.”

Jin tensed, and Alura blinked, something between them seemed to have broken as Jin twisted around, his eyes wide as he gawks at Link. This reaction confusion Alura, glancing between them. She says something to Jin, he nods, before making his way over to Link.

Jin’s hair has a bit of water in it, his face slick. “W-What did the Prince want?” Jin asked, not making eye contact with Link. 

“He was happy to see me,” Link tells him, leading Jin to the staircase, “seeing the Prince again reminded me when I was engaged.”

Jin stops in the middle of the staircase, blinking at Link in confusion. “Engaged? You were engaged...when was this?”

Link nods, “Twice.” This answer dumbfounds Jin as he grips the railing, “to two Zora’s. In my past lives. Things were different back then.” 

Jin continues to gawk at him, but then he laughs, and the sound pulls a smile on Link’s face. He makes his way down the steps to Link, dropping a hand on his shoulder. “You’re always talking as if you’re different people.”

“I feel different,” Link muses, “Ruta was once one of the ancient Sages, she couldn’t marry when she found that out, and I had no idea we were even married until I was older.” He chuckled at that. “And Mipha—”

“You were engaged to Mipha?” Jin exclaimed.

Link smiled, enjoying Jin’s reaction. “Yeah, except I didn’t learn about that until a hundred years after. I barely had any memories of her then either. Like I said, it was a different time.”

Once they reach the bottom steps, there’s a loud splashing noise, a grunt, and when Link turns, a pair of arms wrap around his neck, pulling him against an equally soaked body. 

“Link!” Dira shrieked, “three days, Link! Three days! It’s been so long!” At first, Link thought maybe she was angry that they’ve been gone this long, except Dira is too full of joy, and laughs as she embraces Jin. “I missed you two so much, even though I enjoyed our time without you unbearable fools!”

“Thanks, Dira,” Jin wheezed in her death grip.

Link also hugged Keras who wasn’t as suffocating.

“Ekos is fine, by the way,” Dira says, stepping back, she’s wearing a blue bathing suit, her white hair is slicked back, and her face is flushed from the exertion, and her excitement of seeing them. She places her hands on her hips, her chin tilted upwards, “If I hadn’t done or said what I wanted, then things would’ve ended up like my sister, and I didn't want that. So I’m glad about the decisions we’ve made.”

“What?” Link asked, confused.

Dira rolled her eyes, “I confessed to her. I told Ekos how I felt about her after she regained consciousness, and when she was able to speak, and stand properly. I told her, because if something were to happen, what would I do? Betray myself and the strong feelings I have for her? I won’t do that to myself!” 

While Dira declared her decisions, and Link was glad that she did, he noticed Jin stepping closer to him, yet not exactly touching his arm. 

“I want to stay in the Zora’s Domain,” Dira says, “but I also want to get revenge for Nila.”

“We’ll be fine with any decision you make,” Jin tells her.

Dira nodded, keeping up with her devotion, while Keras stared hard at the sword in Link’s hand. 

“Is that what I think it is?” Keras asked.

Link looked down at it and nodded, “Do you want a proper look?” he asked, smiling as he passed the sword to Keras.

“That is so fascinating,” Dira says, eying the blade as much as Keras was, “the Blade of Evil’s Bane! You actually retrieved it!”

“We did feel a strange wind the other day,” Keras says, holding the blade by the handle and looking upon the hilt and down the blade itself. 

It must’ve been when Link had pulled the blade free, was the power within that strong that it even reached the Zora’s Domain. How many other places did it reach. It also gave truth to what the Great Deku Tree had said about the Great King knowing that he took the sword. 

“We spoke to the Great Deku Tree as well,” Link told them, he informs them of everything it had told them before they left the Lost Woods. 

“I see,” Dira says, thoughtful, “now that you got the sword, we’ll also need a way to defeat him without him taking your life. Once you’re gone, Link, that means our lives will be given over to him.” She wrinkles her nose, angry at the thought itself. “The only thing I can think of without your inevitable demise, is that we must find Princess Zelda before  _ he  _ finds her.”

“That’s the problem, is it not?” Jin says, crossing his arms, “we don’t even know where she is.”

Keras passes him the sword as they all hit a wall in their journey. An hour later, Link is sitting on the side of the reservoir, his legs dipped in the cold water while Dira and Keras are swimming along with more Zora’s who were able to get off work for the day. He never thought he’d have Zora’s as friend’s, but here they were, gladly spending time with them in their Domain.

Link turns his head to Jin who’s also in the water, except he’s once more speaking to Alura. They’ve been having a conversation for about twenty minutes, and she seemed to grasp the courage to move a bit closer to him. 

Link forces his gaze away from them, and finds himself staring at the dark blue water. Clean of blood, debris, and bodies. One of the Zora’s had said it was cleansed, more so now that there were four outsiders within their Domain. They hadn’t spoken  _ outsider  _ with hate, and Link understood the intention. 

There’s something rising from the waters, a tumult harsh voice resonating with Link, the same that had spoken to him before within the sanctuary. It’s raw, as it speaks to Link,  _ “Leave it. Drop it in the water. You don’t want this. You never wanted this. Drop the sword in the water, Link.”  _

Link reaches for the sword sitting beside him in a blue, silver and gold sheath the Prince had bestowed for him. He took it out and displayed it before him, the metal glinting in the noonday sun, holding it out before him. 

_ “Exactly, you don’t want this, you never wanted this. Don’t let yourself suffer anymore. Escape it, Link.”  _

Link drops the sword into the water, the splash hits him in the face, and his heart is racing so hard, his gaze unfocused. He looks down into the water, the sword has already faded from view. 

“Link!” Dira screams, her eyes are wide as she stares at him, and it forces Link to realize what is happening and what he had done. He’s shaking so badly, breathing unevenly, and he makes eye contact with Jin who swam away from Alura, diving into the water after the sword, along with many of the other Zora’s.

What did he do? What’s going on?

Keras is staring at him, unable to speak. 

Link scrambles to his feet, he says to her in a panicking, raw voice, “I don’t want this.” And he runs.


	21. Doubts & Fears

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Link runs from the Zora's Domain, from his friend's, and yet he meets someone who gives him a bit of encouragement.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was trying to figure out the rest of the outline and got to ch 52. :/ I'm not yet finished! LOL. 
> 
> Anyway's, I hope you enjoy this chapter! 
> 
> Comments and/or Kudo's are appreciative.

_ “You didn’t want to be the Hero anyway,” _ the voice continues to speak to Link as he pants raggedly, his legs burning from running away from the Zora’s Domain. Sweat already coating his face, his shirt soaked in it.  _ “The title itself is ridiculous, don’t you think, Link?” _

He can’t seem to rid the voice from his mind. All he does is listen to its constant ramblings, harsh and malicious against the insides of his mind. He cries out for it to shut up, the anger inside of him defuses as much as it rises, flowing in and out as exhaustion shoves him down, and he slows his pace near a river, and a bridge that leads across to the other side.

_ “You wanted to go back to Akyllan, fade back into the world that you knew, it made you feel safer.”  _ Link pants, leaning against the wooden railing of the bridge, looking down at a few fish below him, and his wavering reflection off the water.  _ “Safer than the handle of the blade you didn’t even want to wield in the first place.” _

Bowing his head, his arms shaking, and his legs more than that, leaning his entire weight against the wood that was strong enough to hold him, even if it did creak, he knew it wasn’t about to break simply because of him. He was skinny, but he did gain a bit of muscle since he left Akyllan. 

“Shut up, for the love of the Goddesses,” Link said, through gritted teeth as he closed his eyes, “shut up, shut up, shut up!” 

It seemed his request was answered and the voice faded into the back of his mind. Now, all he could hear was the wind around him, blowing cool air against his already heated body from the run he took. There was a slight regret easing its way into his mind. He shouldn’t have left the Zora’s Domain, he shouldn’t have dropped the Master Sword in the water, and scaring his friend’s. 

There was a lot that happened since they left Akyllan. The memories pushing him in ways he never thought he would experience, and yet he couldn’t tell them how afraid he was to experience it. Always feeling this strong urge to say that he needed help, a moment to himself, so he didn’t have to think too much about the  _ destiny _ that has been placed on him. 

He needed time, and yet he would get none. He was the hero, the chosen one with the crest on his hand, the one who pulled the Blade of Evil’s Bane from the pedestal while many others had failed to do so. 

This was his destiny, and he had to accomplish it, even if he didn’t want too. There was some things you have to do, even if you don’t want too. And Link let out a sigh at that thought before a snort, followed by grunts and growls alerted him that he was no longer alone anymore. 

Link pushed himself away from the railing and found himself surrounded by a group of blue and red Bokoblins, they wore bone necklaces around their thick necks, and held wooden spears, rusted blades, and makeshift bows in their grasps, all pointed directly at him. They could’ve easily slaughtered him on the bridge itself, but they were looking at him, wearily, while a few, seemed hungry for his flesh. 

His heavy scent must’ve lead them to him, and he cursed mentally at his lack of awareness. There was a lot going on, and he held no weapon. Even if he did curl his fingers, hoping for the Master Sword to return to his hand, it did not. Maybe he wasn’t as worthy as everyone had thought. 

Before they could attack him, a whistle came through the air, and an arrow struck one of the Bokoblins, slamming it into the ground, its rusted sword slid towards Link. He scrambled for it, while more arrows rained in the air, and Link swung the blade at an approaching Bokoblin, while the remaining rushed for whoever came to his rescue. 

In a flurry, Link slashed the last of the Bokoblins, their bodies twitching on the ground, covered in arrows and deep jagged gashes. Link dropped the sword that was already bent, useless to anyone else. And he stepped over the dark blood and found himself looking toward a large black warhorse with a fiery red mane. 

He had never seen this kind of horse before, and already, its massive size was intimidating at best. He was also amazed by it until he caught sight of the rider sitting on a well made leather saddle, and his eyes widened, mouth falling open.

“Daze?” Link addressed, surprised to see the man on the horse. Daze with his auburn hair, and piercing eyes, as if they could see through Link with a single glance. It was nice to see him again, and it seems Daze felt the same as he got off his horse and walked over to him. Link wasn’t sure if there was a flash of rage on Daze’s face, a subtle resentment in the narrow of his eyes, before his expression smoothed out entirely. 

“I should be calling you that,” Daze responds, giving Link a cocky smile.

Link nods, frowning at the group of dead Bokoblins. “A lot has happened, and I guess...I’m too preoccupied with my own thoughts to have noticed.”

“Be careful with those thoughts if they truly distract you from what you need to do,” Daze tells him, “if you let them lead you astray, you’ll let your enemies win, and we both know, that’s not what we both want, right?”

Link thinks of what Daze has said, agreeing with him, and trying his hardest not to feel the intense shame that had overwhelmed him, almost ending up dead thanks to it. Daze walked back over to his horse, taking something out from his pack and brought it over, offering Link an apple. 

“You should hurry up and find what you’re looking for,” Daze tells him as Link takes the apple, “a man on a kill streak isn’t patient.” 

Link furrows his brows, smiling,  “that’s an awful allegory to a horse race.” 

Daze laughs, “You’re right, but there are things we must do, even if they cause us pain. We only get enough lives to live to figure out the right route to take that leads to glory instead of waste.” He walks back to his horse and climbs back on. 

Link stares up at Daze, and says, “You’re something else, you know.”

Daze grins, “I know. Good luck, Link.” 

Link watches Daze’s horse trot over the dead Bokoblin and the dark blood sizzling upon the wood. He thinks over what he had said, knowing in someway that Daze was right. They lived a single life, why wouldn’t they do what they had to so they can live it. He had a purpose, a reason, and yet he was trying to run from it. How selfish could he be when many others could thrive in the world he had the chance to save. 

Link eats the apple as he looks down at his hand where the mark sits. It didn’t glow, there was no power, no energy, and he couldn’t help the emptiness aching inside of him. He wanted...yet it did not matter what he want, did it? Not when he was the hero. 

Once Link finishes the apple, he walks along the river and finds a good place to sit, tossing small stones and watching them plop into the water, a tiny splash before disappearing from his view. He tosses more in, enjoying the silence, the warm wind against his face. The peace he needed for a moment before he has to return to his friend’s, to his destiny. 

Daze was right, and maybe that’s what he hoped to hear, something that was both encouraging and discouraging. Life in itself was not entirely fair, but at least they were alive. 

He stood and walked to the edge of the water, looking down at his reflection like he had done earlier. Never did he thought he would ask himself who he was, and with the reflection, it was simply himself, until the wavering startled him. His heart raced, a sudden realization as his own hair whitened, his smile pulled taut at the corner of his lips, while even his own eyes began to change from blue to red. 

“What?” Link stumbled back, shaking. There had to be a reason for this, a possible reason, and before he could take a step to look into the water, he’s distracted by the sound of someone calling his name, the panting breaths, and the earth thumping. 

He turns his head to the left and spots his friends sprinting towards him. Dira was at the front, her brows pushed together, as rage was the most present emotion in her eyes once she reached him, she hit him in the shoulder.

Wincing, Link stepped back, but she hit him again. “How dare you do that! Link! Why? Why would you do that? Why would you leave us? Tell me, Link! Why would you do that!?” Her anger twines with a distinct sob, sorrow filing those desperate words as he glances at Keras and Jin, both frowning at him. Dira shoved him again, and wiping a tear from her cheek. “Why would you try to get rid of your sword, Link?”

_ My sword.  _

Link cleared his throat, thick with tension. Would they understand if he told them the truth? Or would he have to continue to hide it?

“I’m scared,” Link tells her, and Keras and Jin, his own voice heavy as if he’s also at the edge of crying. “I’m scared...of becoming this person…A few days ago I was sleeping in my bed, and it was normal.” He looks to Keras and Jin, but they don’t say anything, and Dira’s lip is trembling as another tear rolls down her cheek except she doesn’t brush it away. “Now I’m having flashbacks of my past lives, of people I don’t know and have never met, at least not in this era.” Would they understand? “I feel...different. I don’t know what I’m meant to do!” 

“We’re here for you, Link,” Jin says, taking a step forward, “we’re not going anywhere, we’re walking alongside you, dealing with the same thing as you, and if you need us, we’re right there.”

Link shakes his head, “I don’t want any of you getting hurt, and maybe the three of you should go back to Akyllan where you’ll be safe.”

“Safe?” Dira asked, in disbelief, “there’s nowhere safe now that the Great King knows you’re alive, Link. He brought the Scourge that killed my sister.”

“And you want to be next on that list of his?” he asked, a lot more harsher than he intended, and it shocked Dira, wincing at his words. “I don’t want that to happen to any of you.”

“You can win this,” Keras spoke, passing him the Master Sword, dried off from when he had dropped it in the water. 

Link lowers his head, clutching the sword in his hands, “I can die, I’m not invincible just because I’m the Chosen Hero. I can die like everyone else.”


	22. A Dark Presence & The Barrier

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Link left his friend's, and slept in the woods where he meets a mirror image of himself, and later meets a traveler who brings him to Hyrule Castle.

Link is awakened a third time next to the burned out fire, the cold seeps into his green tunic, the same that he was given when he left Akyllan, and was later fixed by a Zora in the Zora’s Domain. He had dressed in it when he left the Domain while his friend’s slept. This was a few days ago, after they had found him, and brought him back to be cleaned up.

Jin asked how he managed to kill the Bokoblins on the bridge they passed. Link told him he managed on his own, too tired to speak about Daze’s intervention. He was silent for the first day or so, and when he came to the conclusion, he didn’t hesitate.

They would be safer without him. On his way out, he had said his goodbye’s to Prince Zale, and asked him to tell his friend’s that he as heading out first and to take care of themselves. He knew the sentiment would go ignored, but he wanted to try.

Prince Zale told him to stay safe on his journey alone. He smiled at the prince before leaving, the early morning was shadowed by thick clouds. He had packed enough arrows in the silver and blue quiver he had received from the prince, including the sheath and his Master Sword. He decided that it needed to stay with him at all times.

Link kept having the same old dreams since he left, the reoccuring ones pulling him under each time. Images or memories of a tall man with white to blond hair, red markings on his fair skin as he wore a much more lighter blue tunic, long hat, and silver armour that thrummed with power. No. It was the man who thrummed with power, incredibly strength that it frightened Link of who he was.

What he did manage to figure out was that the man was chosen by the Goddess of Time, and he had fought the evil in his world, pushed it back, but to seal away that same evil, his Goddess had to seal her hero away with it.

Locked away within a mask, hidden from the world which he had grew an incredibly hatred towards in his isolation. The resentment was not for his Goddess, for what she had done to him, but for that same evil. Even in a trapped state, forever lost to the world, that same man held his faith strong and true.

When he had woken, shivering, staring at the dying embers in the darkness of the forest he had decided to sleep in. His heart raced painfully as he scrambled away when he noticed the man sitting across from him, smiling in the dark while his eyes glinted a deep red.

 _Am I still asleep?_ He had asked, reaching for a stick and tossing it at the man, and to Link’s surprise, it caught the stick and threw it in a different direction.

“W-Who are you?” Link asked, grasping for his sword, “what are you doing here?”

The man chuckled, his voice out of place, “I have many names, but I enjoy the name _Dark._ Gives me substance than the acknowledgement that I’m nothing more than a simple doppelganger.”

 _What?_ “Why are you here?” Link asked, gripping his sword he had pulled from its sheath.

“I was extracted from you not too long ago,” Dark said, tilting his head to the side and smiling wide, “once I resided quite comfortably inside your head, but now I’ve materialized into a more physical form.”

He knows that this thing is telling the truth. He shares his face, his body, his voice even if it sounds distorted.

“Drop it,” Dark told him, pointing at the sword, “leave it here.”

“No,” Link tells him, “I’m not going to do that.”

Dark rose from the ground, laughing at Link’s defiance, “Look who's now listening to your friend’s, how sweet, don’t you think? And yet you turned your back on them, leaving them behind.”

Link grits his teeth, and it begins to fade, and Link is finally alone in the forest, gripping his sword at nothing but a shadow of himself. Why did it suddenly leave?

He slumps down against the tree, placing the sword down onto the ground beside him. Link pulls his legs to his chest, and covers his head with his arms. He had chosen to be alone, to do things alone without the friend’s he has. And yet, he isn’t sure how he’s meant to deal with this creature, and the memories that flood either in his waking days, and now in his sleep.

He has to get somewhere, find a way to figure things out for himself. He can’t simply yell out the Great King’s name, and pretend he has everything under control. He needed a plan, and there was one thing that did come to mind.

He could go to Princess Zelda’s castle for clues. It’s surrounded by monsters, many more than the ones that roam along the river banks and inside the forests.

Lying back down on the ground, he knows he has to find clues, to find something to lead him onto a more direct path. He falls asleep, and this time, no memories flow through his mind, and he has a more peaceful nap before even the sun’s dapple streaks awakens him.

He stretches, gathers his weapons, pouches, and tunic, securing them on his body before trekking out of the forest and onto the worn path toward Hyrule Castle. He was right about more monsters guarding the roads, and he fights them off with considerable ease now that he wields the Master Sword.

It’s proficient, slicing into their bodies like butter. He revels over it as he continues his way until he comes upon a man with brown hair, wearing a brown coat over a red and blue shirt, and brown trousers. His boots are caked in mud, and a bit of blood that was scraped off before it could erode the leather.

He introduced himself to the traveler who beamed at him, jumping off a crumbling staircase that was once part of a building. Most of the structures in the area were torn down thanks to the Great King’s monsters raiding the entire area.

“Alvic,” the man introduced, tossing an apple core to the side, “and what did you want to know?” Link pointed at the castle, and Alvic nods. “No one has been inside since the Royal family were...you know, killed.” He shrugged indifferently. “It’s been abandoned for sometime, and there’s a large powerful barrier around it, no one has been able to break through it—hey! Where are you going?”

Link hums, walking by Alvic as he strolls toward the castle and more specifically, the barrier itself. An unbreakable barrier, it sounded interesting, and he was quite confident while Alvic followed close behind.

“I know every traveler likes to think they can break through and be that type of guy,” Alvic says, keeping in pace with Link, “but there are limits to the ego, you know? It’s not going to break if you’re considering some tavern debt of honor. Those guys are idiots anyways.”

Link isn’t sure what Alvic is talking about when he takes his sword from its sheath, and doesn’t notice the absolute awe on Alvic’s face when he notices what kind of sword is in Link’s hand.

Link slashes at the Bokoblins, the Keese, and the Moblins that have sprinted towards them. He’s quick and precise as he takes them down until finally he and Alvic are standing in front of the barrier, piles of bodies lay scattered in the field behind them, the smell of their rotting corpses is thick as the sun bears down upon them.

Link sheathes the sword, taking a deep breath, he reaches his hand out toward the barrier before his wrist is yanked and he almost stumbles back.

Alvic is staring wide eyed at him. “Hey, I know, that the sword, and you, and I have a lot of questions, but touching the barrier has done damage to men twice your size, and twice your strength. I don’t think you should be—”

Link yanked his hand out of Alvic’s grip and he touched the barrier. The Triforce of Courage is glowing bright on his hand as the barrier begins to tear away, a yellow sheen of power as the edges turn white, the heat of it scalds his hand, but he pushes and pushes until a large portion of the barrier cracks entirely.

He gasps hard, energy had seeped from his body, and he hadn’t noticed it until he drops his hand to his side, staring at the broken edges that looked close to a shattered window. Except the barrier was growing piece by piece, repairing itself. He had to get inside before it did.

“Who are you?” Alvic asked, softly, “what are you?”

“I...need to see what’s inside,” Link says, stepping through the barrier, and it seems Alvic followed him in, bumping into his side, and gasping as the rest of the barrier finally repairs itself, the energy set in place.

_Link. Link. Link. Link. Link. Link._

Her voice, no, many voices of her flow into his head all at once, and Link lets out a terrible scream, falling hard to his knees while the man beside him grasps his arm, asking if he was okay. He can barely hear him, but the voice, the memories flooding in of her face. All of them completely different from one another, different lives in many eras, formed one by one with power unlike his own, strength he didn’t know if he himself possessed, when she could master it herself with less struggle.

She’s smiling, a golden light, warmth washing over him. She’s crying, her tears are cold against soft cheeks. Her arms wrap around him, whispering his name, begging him to stay with her, to not leave her, that Link will be okay even if he isn’t, and her own heart knows the truth.

The last was when his own soul had burned out from the body he grew into, when his goal was finally achieved. He did it, she was saved, her kingdom would be at peace once more while the evil was now gone from the world.

She was safe, and that’s all that mattered.

“Zelda,” Link whispers as he falls against Alvic, and passes out.


	23. The Truth & Pain

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Link and Alvic explore Hyrule Castle and come upon the King's Study, but Link's affliction is upon him again.

_ “Hero wielding the Blade of Evil’s Bane. A shadow follows you. I would give you my location, but with him so close by, so close he could touch you. I cannot risk coming out of hiding. You must find me, but first, we need to ensure that most of his power is sealed away when we face his wrath. Inside the castle, find the proper procedures. I’ll contact you in a few days. If you’re dead, then we all are. Keep that in mind.” _

Her voice is muffled, and her body was bathed in light, making it difficult for Link to see her as darkness covers his eyes. And he wakes with a jolt, staring up at a tall ceiling above him, with the distinct scent of rotted food, and burning wood. 

Link rose, shaking his head, and almost falling off the wooden table. Gripping the edge, he righted himself and glanced to the man he had been talking to in front of the barrier that surrounded Hyrule Castle. From the looks of it as Link slid his legs off and set them on the dirt and ash covered floor that he was inside the building itself. Most of the glass windows that almost reached the ceiling itself, and were thin, were blown out, shards left scattered upon the floor like glinting diamonds. 

A fireplace at the end of the room had recently been burned out, while the tables along the rest of the room, were broken and slanted. There were rotted food on the ground in a pile in the corner. Bones picked clean, while the fruit cores were surrounded by a group of flies.

Link eases off the table and wobbles, clutching the side and keeping himself steady. He was weak. Was it because he broke part of the barrier? He hadn’t thought he would be able to use a bit of the power that he possessed. The barrier itself only shattered a fraction, and it repaired itself quickly. 

He would have to be careful if he ever tried it again. 

Taking deep evened breathes, Link carefully sauntered towards Alvic. His head was tilted back, revealing his long fair neck, and softly snoring past parted lips. 

Groaning, Link rubbed the back of his head. At least now Zelda had contacted him in the dreaming realm. He could barely see her through the blinding light that surrounded her, but there was something different about her from the many times he had met her reincarnations, including her incarnation. A maturity, strong and true, was in the way she spoke. He felt she understood more than he ever would, and in a slight way, he felt pointless and disregarded in the nature of their important roles. 

Link reaches out and nudges Alvic awake, and the man blinked open his eyes, letting out a tired groan before staring at Link and realization catches up as he rushes over to him.

“Link, are you alright?” Alvic asked, standing at least an inch or two taller than him, the man grasped his shoulders and inspected his body, “you collapsed so suddenly. I was afraid...whatever you did might’ve permanently harmed you. I did warn you beforehand.”

Link smiled, hoping to reassure the man as he said, “It happens.” Way too many times with his friend’s, and they also wore the similar worried expressions where they cried out his name. 

Alvic nodded and stepped back, he glanced down at Link’s hand, “I saw your mark, and examined your blade.” He turned around and fetched for the Master Sword. 

Foolishly, Link had forgotten about it while thinking about Zelda’s encounter within his dream. Alvic passed it to him, and Link held it in a way that was possessive. He should’ve known better to trust a stranger, but Alvic doesn’t seem to have any ill intentions. 

“I’m astounded,” Alvic says, laughing, “that I’ve come across the legendary Hero.” He notices the surprise on Link’s face at the title. “My grandmother told me about the Hero in his many different lives and how he saved the Kingdom. Truth be told, I liked the flood the best.” 

Link straps the sword on his back, and Alvic informs Link that he managed to wander the rooms and halls, making sure Link was safe. Link asked how he was able to bring him into the castle, the room they were in was the royal dining hall, and it was on the second floor. 

Alvic placed a hand on his own sword at his side, “My father taught me swordplay as I grew older, and with each passing season, he became a lot more ruthless and determined in my training. If it wasn’t for him sharpening my skills, I don’t think you would have woken up at all.” 

Was this the work of the Goddesses blessing him? Link asked himself as he followed Alvic. The man had courageously brought him into the castle, fought his way through to protect him, and later guard his sleeping form, including the Master Sword. It must be, and Link was grateful for Alvic’s help. 

“Do you recall your time during the flood?” Alvic asked, keeping in pace with Link as they strolled the long halls with ragged scarlet and gold carpets that have been trampled upon, dirtied, and scorched. Even the walls didn’t fair any better as most of it was destroyed, the plaster cracked like an egg as the debris within spilled out in piles of rock. 

“How would I remember that?” Link asked him, idly.

Alvic shrugged. “You were sleep talking about Princess Zelda, and several legends I recognized from my grandmother’s tales. I figured from all that, you’d know something.”

It was an interesting assumption, and one that Link wasn’t entirely sure about. “In my village, there’s a man named Garik who told stories about the old Legends, I used to listen to them as I grew up.”

Alvic chuckled. “I guess most do live like each other, don’t they?” He nudged Link in the arm, confusing him again. And Alvic went on about the old Legends, the myths, the fairy tales, the truth in all its concrete form, and his questions flowed from his lips, and Link answered them with enough truth that his instincts could tell him. He didn’t know if any were the truth, but there was something inside of him, telling him, that it was.

“Wow. I’m not sure if you’re simply humoring me,” Alvic said.

“Maybe I am.”

“Alright then, how about...do you remember the time when you spoken to a dragon? Red, and righteous, and he hid his name well that only the waters knew him.”

Images scattered upon Link’s mind, memories shaping from its mold and he slowed as the first scents came to mind, the waters, the heat of the sun, the cawing of birds that flown by, and the freedom in his heart as he traveled upon the waves.

“The King of Red Lions,” Link whispered, reaching his hand out as he had tried once, but the water flowed upward, pushing him away from the King, from the world below.

“Exactly,” Alvic said, slapping Link on the back, forcing him out of the memory. “I guess you’re not humoring me as I thought. You have enough truth, unless that Garik is a great story teller as much as my grandmother.”

Link blinked, before shaking his head of what he had been thinking about. They turned down the left hall and came upon old portraits either lying on the floor, while several still hung with age and damage. 

Alvic was in awe of the portraits, he brushed the thick dust off a few. “It’s been centuries since the Hero who transcended time, and the one in the era of the Flood.” 

Link glanced at each portrait until they came upon one that was lying on the ground, Alvic righted it, smiling softly at the blonde haired woman that looked oddly familiar.

“She’d rather be a scholar,” Link whispered, “than a princess under a title that suffocated her.”

Alvic nods. “The princess in that era married the hero. They spent a lot of time together until they grew old and died. Over the centuries, their bloodlines had split apart, which makes sense that this era’s princess is brown haired instead of blonde.”

“Like the one who took up the mantle of Twilight Princess,” Link said.

Alvic stood after he was finished dusting off the portrait and glanced to Link. There seemed to be a troubled look upon his face when he asked, “What are we looking for?”

Link smiled at  _ we  _ and answered, “Something to seal the Great King for good. A weapon, or even pieces of one. There has to be a clue somewhere.” He stepped past Alvic and they explored the halls, the rooms, and found themselves in the library. It was large like the dining hall, except more wider with tall bookshelves, tables at the bottom floor, with a globe that was cracked, the text upon it was blurred out. 

Link took out several books that weren’t burned or faded, some even had ash filling its pages. He knew there had to be something. Zelda and her family would’ve made sure that the entirety of their quest was accomplished by any means necessary. 

“Link!” Alvic called, and Link turned to see Alvic standing in front of an opened door, he was clutching a handle that seemed to have been hiding within the shelf. He smiled and waved him over, and Link descended the steps, jumping over a group of burned books, and made his way to Alvic’s side. 

“Is this what you’re looking for?” Alvic asked, grinning.

Link nodded, “Yeah, a secret passage.” They wander into the narrow corridor that was dark and musty of cobwebs and precipitation on the cement walls. They found themselves inside a room that looked like a study of some kind. 

“The King’s study?” Alvic asked when he lit the candles, and tapping his finger on a golden shield hanging on the wall, and gazing up at the large sigil of the Royal families crest. 

Link looked through several of the notebooks, making sure he’s as meticulous as he can. He needed to find clues, something specific. And he came upon a distinct set of writing in one of the books while Alvic sifted through the pile he was finished with. 

“The tribes hold a power that could utilize the strength to take down The Great King of Darkness.” 

Alvic glanced at him, letting the pages of one notebook fall back into place. “Well, that’s vague, couldn’t he say something less dramatic?” 

Link nods, agreeing with the sentiment and placing the book down. Before he could think about what he needed to find, and what the King was talking about. There was something he was curious about.

He turned to Alvic, eyeing the man as he asked, “Who are you? Why did you follow me past the barrier?”

Alvic shrugged, playing with a quill pen, “I was worried about you.”

Link blinked, shocked by the answer and unsure about it at the same time. “Why?”

“You look like a decent enough guy who looks as if the world hasn’t harmed you yet.” Alvic shrugged, smiling at him. “I felt something strong about your presence. A fearlessness...and I guess I was also curious about the castle itself. I didn’t think you’d be able to break it the way that you did. Shattering a piece of it with the symbol on your hand.” He turned to fully face Link, and there was genuine interest in Alvic’s eyes. “I never thought I would meet the Legendary Hero from my grandmother’s stories. It’s surreal. I had to take my chance to talk to you, and be in your presence.”

Did he give off that feeling of some otherworldly creature? Link looked down at the back of his hand, it was covered by his leather glove. He was not yet used to the title that was bestowed upon him, the one he had accepted so he could protect his friend’s. 

_ Keep going, Link. You’re not yet finished seeking out the truth within the castle. _

The voice. Familiar in tone, he had heard it before. The same voice from the sanctuary before he had clutched the sword and pulled it from the pedestal. It was different from the shadow that manifested before him in the forest. 

“This castle was destroyed many times,” Link muses, and Alvic nods, smiling at him. 

“I guess, in every war it seems to find its way in,” Alvic says.

Except Link is sure that it has fallen, corrupted, and destroyed in many years when the Dark King rose. Yet rebuilt and returned to its beautiful state after the people and the royal family were able to come together in peace. 

Memories flicker in his mind, all of them harsh and rapid as he stumbles forward, his hands slamming down on the wooden table, the notebooks scattering at his feet as he lets out a ragged breath. 

Not again. Stop. Please. Stop!

Link squeezes his eyes closed, trying to grasp for some kind of control, but he loses it as many different versions of himself fill his mind in age, body, and emotion, all of them walking through those same halls. Some were small, tall, young, and old. A few were regal in steel armour. Other in specially made clothing that were given to him as the princesses appointed knight. He finds himself walking through each of them, their footsteps the same, their breath, and their smiles, and their voices before the tone of it is closed off from his throat. 

Happiness and innocence are corrupted, and their filled with pain and loneliness, followed by a thickening rage that burns hot in his veins. His cries for the Goddesses are not answered, his hope and wish to free the princess and rescue her from the torment, and a small part of him that urges him not to be petty and selfish, not to hope for his own freedom in this curse they had forced on him in every age.

Link cries out in pain, and Alvic is once more at his side, grasping his arm and pulling him to his feet as his legs buckle. Except it doesn’t seem to help before Alvic drops his bag and reaches inside, pulling out a bottle from within, green in its reflection with a cork at the top, wrapped around with a soft cloth. He takes the cork out while Link falls against the stone wall, breathing heavy. 

“Drink this,” Alvic says, taking his jaw, and forcing his mouth open, he pours the cool liquid into Link’s mouth. “I knew that my grandmother’s stories were always skipping past the hero’s pain.” Alvic sits beside him, letting Link lean against his shoulder, “It always does, and I knew that it was unrealistic to reveal the hero was always courageous when that wasn’t the full truth.”

Alvic reaches for his bag and takes out a small notebook and a quill. “I’ll write my own story where the hero knows his fate, and for his heroics to save many, including the royal families heir. They will know another side of your story, Link.” His voice was easing away as he assured Link. “I promise, they will know you.”


	24. Why him?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jin, Dira and, Keras are leaving the Zora's Domain to locate Link, but Jin is conflicted about Link's role as the Hero.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah, I guess the other characters besides Link's will be a lot shorter! LOL.
> 
> I hope you enjoy.
> 
> Comments and/or Kudo's are appreciative.

Jin taps his foot, his eyes on the bridge that leads out of the Zora’s Domain. He was impatient, and Dira was taking her time in thanking the prince for letting them stay. A few days seemed too excessive since Link had mysterious left without saying anything. There was many places Link could’ve went, and he wasn’t sure where he would go.

The first was that maybe Link would locate his horse, Epona. The one that he kept calling out when he first started having his various episodes. And that bothered Jin because that could be anywhere, and Link knew that he needed to find a way to stop the Great King.  

“Maybe, Link doesn’t want you to find him,” Prince Zale was saying to Dira and Keras. “Maybe he needs to sort out his own thoughts and feelings.”

Jin slowly turned his attention to the prince, narrowing his eyes at him. Why did he sound sure of himself? He didn’t even know Link on a personal level. They simply met a few times, and spoke in private once.

Jin stormed his way over to his friends, Dira mostly telling the prince that they’re going after Link anyways. She was obviously afraid about what was going through Link’s mind, but not enough to actually leave the day they learned he left the Domain. She wanted to make sure that Ekos was okay, and Keras kept reassuring them that Link knew his way around a sword, and that he can take care of himself.

“Link wouldn’t just get up and leave,” Jin interjects, annoyed, “he wouldn’t have left without telling us anything of his whereabouts.” Especially him. He wants to mean something to Link, more than just his childhood friend that helped him skip out on chores, or joined him fishing with the adults in their village, except lately, things have began to change between them. A strong gap was pushing them away from each other.

Link was no longer telling him anything, nor longer confiding in him. He was quiet in his thoughts, his gaze lingering away from him, Dira and Keras. He was changing before him, and Jin didn’t know what to do about that.

“He should be with us,” Jin tells the prince, and mostly Dira and Keras, “he’s doubting himself, and he shouldn’t be dealing with this on his own. We should be there for him.”

With a huff, Jin turned on his heel and stomped his way towards the bridge, past the two sentries. All he wanted to do was to find Link, to make sure he stayed close to him, and that this didn’t happen again, even if it did several times since they left Akyllan.

That was the problem, wasn’t it?

Since Link had that dream, he became the Hero in such an escalated way. Suffering under visions of lives he lived many times over, that he loved and lost, fought his way through hell, yet his reward was to be forgotten with a title to sustain his legacy.

There was no names recorded for the previous Heros that came before the Link he knew now. His life only known for the heroics he displayed for the Kingdom and the princess. None of it mattered afterwards.

Link will always be the Hero, it’s his destiny and his fate. It wasn’t fair to place something like that on someone’s shoulders. Mentally, the weight would be impossible for them to sustain. Emotionally, they would break down, psychologically, it would shatter their sense of identity and worth.

Which is happening to the Link he knew now, and it frustrated Jin to no end that he could do nothing but watch his best friend deteriorate.

He’ll find Link, and he’ll make sure that he’s okay. Standing beside him is better than watching him fall to this unending fate of his.

Jin’s chest tightened, and he slowed his pace, gritting his teeth with the desire to hold Link in his arms, to tear him away from this world.

He raised his gaze to the sky, “Why did you choose him out of everyone in the world? Why him?”


	25. Far Away Lands & A Princess's Words

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Link and Alvic locate Princess Zelda's bedroom and find her journals, and within are the instructions of what Link needs to do, and where he's meant to go.

“You don’t know where her bedroom is?” Link asked as he and Alvic walked past a hall that was covered in debris, it would be impossible for them to make it onto the other side.

Alvic stopped in the middle of the hall, patting down his trousers, “Do I look like I have a map to this place?”

“I was just asking,” Link said, and found a hall that wasn’t blocked by debris. He waved his hand to Alvic and they strolled past broken doors, and rooms that were trashed and destroyed. Link tried his best to ignore the large scorch marks and skeletons shattered on the ground, either in the corners or simply laid by the doorways and windows. Many had worn the Royal guardsmen uniform, while others wore the steel armor.

If there was anything in the castle, it would be in Princess Zelda’s bedroom. They’ll just have to get there and hope nothing has been ransacked. Of course, Link didn’t think so since no one could go through the barrier, and what was already inside feasted and starved on what they could find. Which made things easier when Alvic had first stepped into the broken structure and took out several while Link was unconscious.

He’d have to properly thank Alvic’s help on keeping him alive, and staying with him during one of his many episodes.

They came upon a set of halls, and Link was about to explore the left side when Alvic waved his hand from the right hall.

“Found a some stairs,” said Alvic with a grin plastered on his face. Link jogged over to him and they both ascended the staircase where they killed off another Lizalfos guarding the hall. They spent another hour looking through rooms until finally Link discovered another staircase going to the third floor, leading them down a long hall, unharmed by the destruction that befelled it ten or so years ago.

Link slowed his pace when he came upon a door with rounded corners. It was left askew and had the royal symbol above the door and upon the door itself.

“Is this it?” Alvic asked, standing beside him.

“I think so,” said Link, climbing over the skewed door and entered the room. A large chunk of the room on one end was completely destroyed. Most of the window was left hanging, as the glass had scattered upon the ruined rug. The canopy bed looked as if it was once made, but was a foot from slipping off the edge. There were pictures lining the green colored wall, and a desk sitting in the corner, including a vanity, and a divider that was ripped and faded.

He walked over to the edge itself, being careful as he looked at the plains of Hyrule, the trees that covered the path towards Akyllan, and along that would lead to Fado Lake, and farther to the right would be the mountain path where the Zora’s great bridges are, and the Zora’s Domain itself.

It’s a weird feeling to have left his friend’s without saying a word. Link glances off toward the orange hue of Death Mountain that sits farther to the left side. A molten jewel. While even further than that was the Rito Tower, including the entrance to the Gerudo Desert. Between it all, there were grey ruins of scorched stone, and forgotten places that has been overgrown by the roots and grass, including the Great King’s creatures that still roam the fields. Will he be able to explore it all if he’s able to keep himself alive long enough to do? He hopes so.

Before looking away from the other tribes, Link blinks and sees something oddly distinct in the sky. It’s flying amongst the other birds, yet it’s bigger and familiar. It’s the exact same feeling when he first had his visions about Epona. Strong and sure, a part of him he had lost a long time ago. The bird circles the Rito tower along with many more birds.

“Link!” He turns and sees Alvic waving at him beside the desk. When he glances back at the tower, the red bird is gone.

He turns and walks across the room to Alvic who is staring at the drawings on the wall, a lot of parchment have been torn off.

Link pushes the chair to the side and sits down. There were many drawings upon the wall, her handwriting upon each of them, all of it either about the Kingdom itself, while most spoke of other things like botany, and ancient technology.

Alvic pulled open the drawer and inside sat a journal. He picked it up and set it down on the desk, flipping open the book. “Most of the books are addressed to you.”

Link peered up at the papers and books, mostly surprised that Alvic would think so until he noticed that his own name was written on several. Each one in fine writing, most were addressed to him, others would simply have his name set on the parchment itself.

“I wish a princess had my name scribbled all over her papers and books,” Alvic sighed, “it would be such an achievement.”

Link rose from the chair and pulled a paper off the wall, staring at the writing, before looking to Alvic. “I thought the princess escaped ten years ago?”

“She did, the princess was fifteen, so she must be—”

“Twenty-five,” Link said softly as he set the paper down. He picked up the journal and read a few papers while Alvic hummed, and what Link was unlike what he had thought at first. “These aren't diaries, these are research notes.”

Most of them were of the surrounding areas, including the tribes. There were also detailed explanations upon each page of what he’s meant to do and where he’s supposed to go, all of it written in a meticulous way.

He told Alvic about this as he flipped another page, reading more of Zelda’s notes. “She told her father not to say too much.”

Alvic nods, understanding. “At least we know why he was being quite dramatic.”

“She wanted to have full responsibility in telling me about her research,” Link smiled at this sentiment, “her father respected her decision.” She’s young, but the way her own writing seems so excited, but as the pages go on, and the dates continue, she’s maturing in such a short time.

“I wish I knew her.”

Alvic scoffed, “Yeah, most people would enjoy meeting the princess, but she’s been protected and hidden within these very walls. Barely any of her own people ever met her.”

Link, barely listening, continued, “I wish I knew where she was.”

Alvic leaned forward, reading a paragraph in one of the books, and he taps his finger against it. “I think she’s explaining something here about Death Mountain.” Link set the other book down, and pulled the chair forward. “Something about a heart…the dragon, Joron, ate it, and made it sick, which in turn made the mountain sick…? How does a heart make a mountain sick?” he asked, confused.

“Not the mountain,” said Link, “but the dragon made it sick.”

Alvic flipped a few more pages, reading out Zelda’s writing. Most of it was research notes of the valley’s, different types of plants, creatures, and other sorts of recipes.

Link stopped Alvic from flipping the page and he pointed at the top of the page with a drawing on the side. It was labled: Wind Spirit. Cyphia.

“It resides in the old temple within the Rito Tower,” Alvic read, “and its voice has become corrupted.”

There’s another drawing of the Zora’s Domain, but with a more detailed sketch of what’s beneath the Domain itself. A monster laid beneath it with yellowish tentacles inside an old dungeon.

“The Zora’s couldn’t go down there,” Alvic says, “from what the princess is saying, a sage of the Zora’s had forbade anyone from going down there because of an electrical current.”

“Since before the Ancient Scourge,” Link said.

Alvic nods, “From what the notes say, it only started becoming active about a decade ago when the Ancient Scourge had begun. I guess they didn’t want anyone else going down there and dying.”

Link diverts his gaze from the word itself. It was underlined and emphasized quite explicitly. It reminded him of Nila, Dira’s older sister, who had died during the Scourge. He barely remembered her, but she was one of the warriors of the village. Mature and strong, and cared a lot for her family, she also smiled at the kids, at Dira and Link when they first became friends.

One day, he didn’t see her, and Dira had stayed inside for far too long, and when she did come out, she would cry. Link didn’t know what to do besides one day holding her, and later having a sleep over at her house.

He didn’t know exactly how it felt to lose someone you loved from the Ancient Scourge, but he did care a lot for Nila, even if he was a kid. He didn’t know his own parents, and from what the adults had told him was that they had died a long time ago, before he could even talk.

When he learned that the Ancient Scourge was because of the Great King’s awakening, it only enraged Dira for what happened to her sister, to a lot of people in Akyllan that had died. And it troubled Link, because the Great King was active way before he ever learned of who he was.

“My mother…” Alvic said, his somber tone brought Link from his thoughts, “and brother died from the Scourge. My village suffered from it, a lot of people had gotten sick and died.” Alvic let out an empty chuckle, but his gaze seemed far away, “I almost succumbed to it as well, and then one day it went away. I’m not sure why, but some people had said there was a woman who had walked through the village, healing people of the scourge. A potion, a simple prayer, and they were relieved of their curse.” Alvic shrugged, smiling, “I was eleven, and I’m guessing it was the princess who had saved us, at least the remaining who were still clinging to life. I wished I thanked her.”

Link smiled, turning back to the notebook. “Maybe you will, one day.”

They flip through a few more pages, and came upon drawings of an old structure that was remade time after time. A song was set beside it, followed by Zelda’s notes: Once upon a time, a boy with a fairy descended into the forest where a girl sang a song, and with that song, he missed his friend, and he aged into a man, but she stayed the same. And he wished for her return, but he began to decay, and she faded away.”

“That’s sad,” Alvic said, peculiarly.

“It was my past,” Link answered without thinking of the words, and the girl appeared inside his mind where she sat upon a tree trunk inside an ancient forest with an blue ocarina in her hand. She smiled when she played.

His friend had died among the others, fading into the trees where they became something different, unlike Skull Kid, who was not touched by time. Her song played inside his head, the way she woke him up by calling his name, and how he had stayed with her whenever the others bullied him. He was alone for a long time while the others had their fairies, and when the day came that he was given one, it was also the day he had to leave forever.

Link flipped the pages of the notebook and found written at the top, the Gerudo Desert. WHERE HE ASCENDS.

“Who?” Alvic asked, frowning at the words.

“The Great King,” Link told him.

Alvic straightened while his brows had knit together, “Why do you call him that?”

“I don’t want to say his name.” And if I do, it’ll only make him real.

There were detailed pages of the Goddess of the Sand, and of the monster that stirs the sands itself.

“Sand storms are natural in the desert, aren’t they?” Alvic muses.

Link read the words at the bottom of a diagram of the Gerudo Desert, where the city was, and many outposts, including several ruins. “This one is created by Sordien, a monster corrupted by the bones of the desert.”

Is this what Princess Zelda wanted him to find, to learn of what he must and where he must go. It seemed right enough, and somehow extensive to what he had hoped.

The last few pages were personally addressed to Link from the princess.

 _There are days when I wished where you are, and more importantly, who you are. Maybe we could’ve been friends if this dire time hadn’t eclipsed our destined meeting, and I’m not even sure how old you are if I may be honest. We might not even get along. I’m only fifteen, and already my parents expect me to do many things at once. My mother assured me that I will rule the Kingdom when I’m wise enough to understand the responsibility. I’m not sure if she means the people, or my own destined fate. My fears have held me back, and one day, they won’t. By then, I hope you’re by my side, to help me through it, as much as I should help you through your own. —_ _Zelda._

“She has a lot of faith in you,” Alvic says softly.

Link nods, ripping out the paper, he wants to use most of it for reference of what he needs to do and where he needs to go. She’s expecting him to fit into his role as much as he can. And he wants to keep the papers for her thoughts alone, he might need it in the future.

“I wonder where she is if she wants to meet you this much,” Alvic says, stepping away from the desk and stretching.

Link smiles, tucking the papers into his coat and peering up at Alvic, “I know where she is.”

Alvic blinked, “You do?”

Link rose from the chair, and faced Alvic with a more determined expression, he was resolute in his decisions now that he got to read Zelda’s own words of the matter, and of her courage in him. “It’s not the time to meet her. I must keep Hyrule safe, and for me to do that, I have to locate the artifacts she explained to us. It’ll stop Ganon from destroying the rest of the world.”


	26. A Heated Reunion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alvic leads Link back to his home village, but there, Link comes face-to-face with his friend's.

Link and Alvic trekked from the castle and into the cool evening where the sun was now beginning to set. The days were truly passing him by, he barely focused on them until the sun was gone, and the stars took upon the dark sky. His own sluggish yet determined demeanor felt inhuman. His senses were sharp edges, terrible, and burning. Lately, since he took upon the crest of Courage, and held the Master Sword, he’s been depending on his own intuitive instincts to keep him alive. It helped him so far, besides the unnatural headaches, memories, and passing out.

Alvic stood a foot behind him when they reached the yellowish barrier that glowed a faint white in the moonlight, and Link let out a breath, pressing his hand against it and pushing hard. It was like before, the cracks like glass or broken ice, it tore apart so he and Alvic could step onto the other side.

The air was more crisp, and Link was able to breathe with clarity unlike the inside of the barrier itself. Breaking it felt more like a rebellion, announcing his power to the King who still hid from him, who promised death with his hoards, and yet Link passed those equally desperate tests. Did he truly want him to comprehend his own abilities in the consequence of his spoken existence?

Link knew he didn’t need to prove himself worthy, he already did many times over since the day he became the Hero. Since he had ascended years after the Great King and the princess had. He may be, in some way, a late bloomer, but he was here nonetheless.

“I’m still amazed you can do that,” Alvic tells Link, smiling wide at the barrier repairing itself behind them.

“It hurts,” Link said, looking down at his hand and the leather glove that was singed on the edges. His own hand was scalding, but that pain would also fade, along with the dizziness that followed after. “My energy depletes significantly...I might not be able to do it often.”

Alvic nods, turning back to face Link. “I still think it’s amazing, and for my gratitude, I’ll take you to my village. It’s called Emelle.” He pointed past Link’s head toward a group of trees and a wide bridge. “It’s an hour’s walk, but we should be there by the time the sun truly fades from the sky.”

Link grins, “Alright. Take me there, Alvic. And I should be thanking you for protecting me,” he says, following Alvic.

“Oh, don’t worry about it. You’re the Hero of my grandmother’s stories, I should be grateful that I spent time in your presence. Not most get to say that.” Alvic is something else, a cheerful disposition that warms his cheeks and lights up his eyes. Link wouldn’t have thought he’d meet someone like him. At least he made a new friend, even if he did leave behind the others in the Zora’s Domain. Surely they’d come looking for him, and maybe he’ll even come upon them.

“Tell me more about your grandmother’s stories,” Link says to Alvic, and he happily yammers on about the old legends, some of the details that Link hadn’t heard from Garik, and he’s grateful to hear them from such an enthusiastic person like Alvic.

By the time they crossed the bridge, and walked along the pathway through the forest, they come upon Bokoblins trying to ambush them. They take them down quick and continue their journey to Emelle.

“My father owns a farm,” Alvic tells Link as they enter Emelle. It’s almost like Akyllan, except not surrounded by a mountain pass, and mostly has a lot of trees on the edges, including a river that goes through it. “I’ll have a place for you to sleep in for tomorrow’s journey too—”

“You idiot!”

Link and Alvic stopped in the middle of the road, both of them glancing at each other before turning their attention to a frightening sight of a young Sheikah girl stomping her feet towards them.

“Uh...who’s she?” Alvic asked, nudging him.

Link winced, his entire body tensing as he knew what was about to happen next. “My friend, Dira.”

She was so close that Link thought maybe she would hit him again, except this time she kept her hands at her sides, balled into tight fists. It was a scary sight that he had the urge to step back and run the opposite direction.

“How dare you leave us at the Zora’s Domain!” she yelled, her cheeks a furious red, and her eyes screamed worse than murder, “you didn’t even bother to tell us where you went, and you just get up and leave us, again! Why must you do this over and over, all the time, Link? Why? And you better have a decent enough answer than being afraid!”

She was screaming in the middle of the village, and he caught sight of several villagers watching. Men mostly smiling, while woman stared with worried expressions. Even the children were afraid, while several were laughing.

Link caught sight of Keras and Jin walking towards them, they weren’t as furious as Dira was. He figured her rage was enough to scare Link instead of adding to what was already happening.

Jin’s gaze flicked to Alvic standing beside Link who was staring heavily at Dira, his own expressions frightened like Link’s.

“Are you going to answer me?” Dira asked, glaring.

“I…” Link tried to find the words, but they vanished at the sight of her rage. He was frightened that he might say the wrong thing.

“I was with Link the entire time in Hyrule Castle,” Alvic blurted out, his own cheeks flushed, while Keras’s gaze went to him, and Jin’s was surprised yet wary.

“Hyrule Castle?” Keras asked, perplexed as her gaze went to Link’s, “how did you get in there? It’s surrounded by an impenetrable barrier.”

Exactly. And it exhausted him, but he knew his friend’s needed an answer from him. He lifted his hand, the one with the crest and gave them an awkward smile as he said, “I can break it...but it repairs itself.”

“Why are you with him from the start?” Jin asked Alvic, and for some reason, a sharp pain in his chest made Link lower his gaze to the ground while dropping his hand.

“I met him on the road,” Alvic answered, seemingly to be more at ease now that Dira wasn’t screaming at them, “I tried to stop him from heading to the castle, but he wouldn’t listen to me, so I went with him. I was amazed that he killed so many monsters, and destroyed the barrier. It was such a sight.” Jin glared heavily at Alvic’s admiration, while Link was once more flustered by the compliments. “After that, I figured he was the Legendary Hero my grandmother told many times as I grew up. So, I went with him inside the barrier so I could ask him questions, but he collapsed, and I had to carry him inside.”

Link didn’t deny he was a little embarrassed by this detail, and even Alvic seemed to realize it as he gave an awkward laugh.

“I protected him while he was knocked out, and placed him on a dining table until he woke up,” Alvic said, shrugging his shoulders. “I fell asleep after awhile, and Link was the one who woke me. I told him I knew who he was, and we explored the castle together.”

Link placed a hand on Alvic’s shoulder, patting his arm as he turned to his friend’s. He wanted to at least explain more before Alvic added anymore embarrassing details. “We found some things inside the castle that I want to show you. It’s from Princess Zelda.”

“Yeah,” Alvic nods, beaming, “come to my dad’s farm, you can stay the night there in gratitude of meeting and protecting the Legendary Hero himself.” Alvic pushed past his friend’s and led them down the path.

Link walked by himself, trying his hardest to ignore the tension his friend’s were giving off. He knew at some point it was going to waver, but he’d have to give them their space. Mostly Dira, since she seemed the most affected by it. He was going to have to apologize for his constant disappearances.

They came upon a farmhouse, including a lighthouse on the edge. Alvic explained his father owned both, and that his mother and younger brother were dead from the Scourge. He didn’t say it as sorrowful as he did back at the castle, but Alvic glanced away before any of them could see his expression.

Once inside, Dira walked over to him and said, “I understand...my own sister was taken by the Scourge as well.”

While they sympathized, Link closed the door and Jin sauntered over to him without any attempt of a friendly expression on his face. Link tensed as he looked away from his best friend, unfortunately cornered like a frightened animal at knife point.

“So, now you trust strangers instead of your own friends?” Jin asked, spitefully.

He knew Jin would bring it up, that his harsh voice would leave Link feeling shame, even how weak he was since he destroyed the barrier.

“It wasn’t on purpose,” Link told him, and in a sarcastic, yet Link’s own spiteing way, said with a smirk, “maybe it was fate that we met.”

Jin’s frustration is too prominent on his face that speaks of something imminent and untold, and it makes Link’s insides tremble. To distract himself, he takes out the notes from his coat and walked past his best friend toward the table in the center of the room. He set them down separately as his friend’s took a chair on either side.

Dira picked one up, scanning the words and arching a sardonic brow at Link. “Sounds like a love letter.”

Link ignores Jin’s obvious glare, and sighed. The tension wasn’t about to dissipate any time soon, and he’ll have to deal with them either responding in angry or sarcastic tones until they calm down. Keras on the other hand seems to be once more the level headed one out of his friend’s.

“What do they mean?” she asked, placing the papers down, this one was the Gerudo Desert diagram, her gaze was sharp and interested as she waited for his response.

Link began to explain to them what Princess Zelda wanted him to know and what he needed to do. Alvic cooked behind them in the kitchen, humming quietly to himself, and seeming quite proud that he had people over.

“Artifacts?” Jin asked skeptically, sitting back in his chair and crossing his arms.

Link nodded. “The King mentioned it, and so did Zelda with a lot more detail in her journals. They want me to find the artifacts from each tribe throughout Hyrule, and it’ll somehow help me defeat the Great King.” It didn’t sound as convincing, but it would have to be enough.

“What about the princess’s location?” Keras asked, “I figured that would be something you’d find out along with these notes.”

Alvic appeared beside Link, smiling at his friend’s. “Finding the princess won’t be a problem,” he tells them, which seems to confuse Link’s friends as he nudges Link in the arm, “he already knows where she is, but he won’t say where exactly.”

Link sighed, closing his eyes, and wondering if being friends with someone like Alvic was a good thing when all he does is open his mouth and speak every little thing. It’s not like he promised him to secrecy.

Dira glared at Link, proving her own temper towards him hasn’t defused. “How, and why are you keeping it a secret when no one has seen her since she disappeared after her family was killed? Why haven’t you brought it up to us before?”

He hates this type of confrontation, he’d rather wield a sword than argue. “I had a dream about her, the first dream since they all began, and it showed me the direction of where she is, but I can’t tell any of you where.”

“Why?” Jin asked, tense.

Link looked at each of his friend’s and told him the reason, “Because Zelda told me that I’m being watched.”

“How did she tell you this?” Keras asked him.

Link shrugged, smiling halfheartedly. “I heard her voice, but she couldn’t tell me everything, not yet. Nor can I say anything more than that.” He looked down at his hands after he pulled his leather gloves off, “I’m being watched so close that they can touch me, and if they can touch me, terrible things will happen. I don’t want her to be endangered, nor any of you.” He once more looked at his friend’s, and felt the hollow of his chest widen, the emptiness pulling inward, yet not being able to fill itself up as loneliness gnawed at the edges. How he wished he could do better, but there was some things he had to do, and this was one of them. “I have to keep these secrets to myself.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tbh, I have this terrible habit of walking off whenever I'm with my family or friends, and they always get pissed off at me. It's worse when I'm drunk. So, I added Link doing that in this story, mostly because I feel he would want to leave his friend's, and try to protect them in that way. He has a lot of insecurity about himself that he doesn't want his friend's to witness, or even fall victim too if he messes up.
> 
> I hoped you enjoyed this chapter! :D
> 
> Comments and/or Kudo's are appreciative.


	27. A Starved Love

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dira yells at Jin for being jealous.

Alvic set the plates down with the cooked meat and vegetables. Including the cups of apple juice beside their individual plates. He was proud of what he had done and displayed it by beaming at each of them. 

Jin, however, frowned at him. He couldn’t help that he didn’t understand why he could not dislike this man with his brown hair and green to brown eyes. He was quite tall, an inch or two above Link, and held no air of intimidation. There was a friendliness about him that seemed to win out on Link, Dira, and Keras. 

He looked down at the plate and decided to eat. It was great, more so than tavern food, and less than the food the Zora’s fed them with their steamed fish. He savored the food, unsure if he or any of them were going to eat good food any time soon. 

Keras rose her head, staring at Link who sat across from her. “Who look tired,” she said to him, and Link gave a small smile without returning her gaze. He did look tired, there were bags under his eyes, his tan skin was thinner and pale. He hadn’t even told them what he had done when he left the Zora’s Domain. Where he had stayed since from Alvic’s explanation, they met that day early in the morning. 

Where did Link sleep? Or did he sleep at all? 

“I haven’t slept in awhile,” Link said.

“Well, maybe if you stayed with us, you wouldn’t have this problem,” Dira said, stabbing her food with her fork. 

“Dira,” Keras warned, but Dira didn’t look at her and seemed to hold onto her grudge in a tight fist. She was always a divine beauty with sharp teeth, and she shown how deadly she was when someone betrayed her, hurt her, that the knife of her own words would cut through skin and bone.

Alvic once more laughed awkwardly, he sat beside Link, nudging him in the side, which earned him a halfhearted glare. This reaction somehow brought a slip of a knife through Jin’s ribs, and he had to bite back his hungry words. 

“He must not be like this to the rest of you, but I just met him, and it’s all he says,” Alvic tells them, 

Jin ignores Alvic and looks to Link, nudging him with his foot under the table. Link meets his eyes, and somehow even that simple glance smooths out the rigid anger inside of him. “You should try to sleep.” 

Link nods absently, he bites down on one more vegetable before getting up from the table. He asks Alvic where he can sleep for a few hours, and the questions seems to pin Jin down. He never asked that type of question before. Not when they lived in Akyllan. He would simply want to sleep, and he would go do that where none of them could find him. Not ask if he could sleep for a few hours, and Jin isn’t sure how long would be a few, or if it would be enough. 

“Come on,” Alvic says, leading Link away from the table towards a sofa in the back where the light has dimmed in that section of the house. He helps Link lie down before covering him up with a green and blue quilt.

Dira picks up one of the notes that Link had placed down, but Jin is too preoccupied with watching Link and Alvic. He knelt down beside the sofa, whispering to Link, and the sight eases that knife closer to Jin’s heart. 

“Zelda must’ve really wanted to meet Link,” Dira comments while chewing on her food, “she sounds sincere, friendly, and warm whenever she mentions him.”

Jin pulls his gaze away from Alvic and Link. He stares at the papers, at Zelda’s writing, at Link’s name scribed on the papers several times over. As if Zelda wanted to remember it, or if she wasn’t sure if that was even his name. 

“She was eleven,” Jin says, way too bitter for his own liking as he resumes eating, “Link was nine.”

Dira set the papers down too harshly, and Jin goes still, feeling Dira’s intense gaze turn towards him as it had when she spotted Link down the road with this mysterious man. The sight had also burned the insides of Jin’s body that words failed him for awhile. 

“What is your point on being jealous over nothing?” she asked him, and the knife went straight into Jin’s heart, piercing him directly as only Dira seems to know how to do as much as Link knows when to do it in his actions. “Link doesn’t know your true feelings, Jin. You kept it a secret for far too long. It’s not like you own him, meaning that if anyone ever catches Link’s eyes, or if anyone likes him, then he’s allowed to pursue a relationship.” Dira shakes her head, standing from the table. “You can’t continue with your pursuit if it’s not going anywhere.” 

Jin snaps his gaze at her, glaring, but Dira sneers in return. 

“Makes it worse he doesn’t even know your true feelings, even how obvious you are about it.” 

Dira always knew how to cut carelessly deep. She was vicious, yet careful even if she did lose her temper. She always looked too soft for war, for a fight in the ravages of stories, of blood shed upon the dying, she was beauty in the light with her white shorn hair, and eyes of fury that burns flesh and bone to ash. 

Jin tastes no words that bite and snap like a wolf amid the wilds. He rises from the chair, the legs scraping on the floor, the silence aching between the three of them, and of Alvic standing next to a sleeping Hero. He stands taller than Dira, but she doesn’t back down, and someone like her would not among many who were stronger and more experienced with death. He knew that, and her small stature was a lot more terrifying when her words spoke unyielding truth. 

He stepped by her, and none stopped him as he grasped the knob to the door, pulled it open and slammed it behind him. He stomped away from the farmhouse, past the opened gate, the shed, and into the field where he walked to the edge of the hill and sat down in the soft grass under silver stars. 

His feelings cradled inside his impatiently thrumming heart. He had shoved it down as hard as he could when Link spoke his rejection over and over. He didn’t want anyone, and he didn’t believe in the act of love. That it could be real when love was taken from many, cut short, and flayed. 

Jin had called it fear when they were young, until the first kisses became many, and the shadows were his home. He had hoped to taste his friend in more ways than one, closing his eyes to a young girl’s lips, to a young boy’s wanton voice. None of them were ever him, who he truly wanted in his arms. 

He told himself he was starving for affection, but those rejections hurt him more than the hearts he had broken, or when he woke up alone in his bed after those soft dreams lured him in, and lied to his waking mind. 

They were best friends. That should be enough, he told himself that over and over again whenever he stared for far too long, or when he held Link during sleep overs, when they cuddled, and Jin had the strongest urge to press his lips to his best friend’s neck, to his jaw, to his warm mouth that smiled and laughed, to every part that Jin pretended belonged to him, and him alone. 

He never did pursue a relationship, and Jin had asked him many times about it. Link had told him the reason why, and the reason killed Jin’s attempts. Love was a fickle thing, burning bright and burning out. 

Jin pulls his legs to his chest and hugs his knees, his chest thumps with that knife in his heart, it hurts like bruises, like open wounds, never closing, never healing. 

His fear held him back for far too long, and he’ll have to do something to change that. He’ll have to speak his mind, and the emotions that dwell within him that has now become malnourished, yet was still alive. 

“I’ll have to confess,” Jin says to himself, alone as he stares at the lights of the village, and the stars above, far away from the home they knew. “I just don’t know when.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've been outlining more for this fic, at least how much I can. I haven't figured out an ending...but right now I'm at chapter 52. And it's somewhat almost finished, at least getting there. I just need to add some details to these chapters, and continue onto the remaining ones! :D Once I have that figured out, I'll put in the chapter length! 
> 
> Also, Jin won't be the only one with his own chapters, but the others will be for later on! 
> 
> I hope you enjoyed.
> 
> Comments and/or Kudo's are appreciative.


	28. A Story of Home & Blending Memories

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Link wakes in the morning and spars with Keras, but later on, he speaks to Jin about distorted memories.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I missed a day...LOL. I mean, I don't have to write everyday, it's just I don't like when I'm interrupted or distracted. And I couldn't get into writing because of my depression. Today, I made up for some of that lost time with writing 3.8k words for this chapter!
> 
> I hope you enjoy!
> 
> Comments and/or Kudo's are appreciative.

Link wakes as normally as possible. Without his body alert, jolting, a need to grasp his sword away from anyone who would try to take it from him. Except, his memory returns and he finds himself staring at the dimly lit room that composed of the living room, a nook area, and the kitchen. The table has the papers he had shown his friends last night set in a stack on top in the middle, the chairs pushed in.

He pulls the blanket off and sits up onto the sofa. Letting out a yawn, before glancing toward the nook area where Dira was sleeping soundly with her own blanket wrapped around her. The rage on her face has smoothed out, and even then, she was beautiful. 

He looked for Jin, but didn’t find him, nor Alvic, or Keras. Link rose from the sofa and stretched his arms, and sucked in a breath when his foot felt the softness of a blanket a foot from him. He hadn’t noticed him lying on the floor, but Jin was wrapped in a blanket while hugging a pillow. He also looked peaceful without his permanent glare and discomfort. 

Link walked by him and headed for the door. He figured maybe Keras and Alvic were outside, but he only found Keras. She was training with her sword, her stance was leveled, and she was concentrated until he closed the door. 

“Is it only you out here?” Link asked her.

“Alvic is sleeping on the second floor,” Keras said, straightening, “last I checked.” She seemed to consider something about him, a thought she turned over and over until it made sense to her to ask the question. “What are you going to do?”

And it was loaded with possibility that Link didn’t understand himself. The notes from Zelda were all he could think of that made a map. Something substantial, yet more like a puzzle. He needed time, but that was what he needed right now. More time, and maybe it was paranoia that made him feel as if he had none to spare. 

Link shrugged and gave her a lopsided smile, “Scared I’m going to leave again?” he asked her, and out of his friend’s, he knew Keras didn’t take on sarcasm that much. 

Her gaze was heavy as storm clouds, her grip on her sword’s handle was loose as she swung it with careful movements, “I’ll admit, before Jin and Dira,” she began, narrowing her eyes at him, “I know you have to do things that we don’t want, things we don’t like.” She moved again and Link watched her, listened to her, “Even if you leave in the middle of the night, or early in the morning. You want to keep us safe as much as we want to do the same for you.” She came to a stop, taking a deep breath, “And that’s reasonable,” and she turned towards him, “but it would be nice if you told us instead of getting up and leaving.”

Link nods, lowering his gaze to the grass, to the ones that were bent from Keras’s movements. “I’m sorry, and I’ll even apologize to Dira and Jin. I shouldn’t have done that, to make the three of you worry so much.” 

Keras’s lips turn up into a genuine smile. “Do you know the legend of the Four Gods?” 

Link tilted his head, confused. “What do you mean?” 

“I’m not born in Akyllan,” Keras told him, getting into a ready position while Link extended his arm to the side, his sword appeared in his grasp in a flash of blue light. The Master Sword’s power reverberated throughout his entire body, a strength that powered him, that pulled him to his feet if he was on his knees, it helped him breathe more efficiently, and helped with the courage that dwelt inside of him. _ This belongs to me. It’s mine.  _ “You know of the Gerudo Desert, I come from there, but more specifically, the Gerudo City that resides within. My mother, and her friend’s escaped.”

Link stepped closer to her while Keras gave him more room, listening intently to her story. 

“I figured it was because of the Great King’s ascension through the Gerudo King.” He had known that the Gerudo’s were all born female, and only several hundred years was when a boy was born. And that boy would be King of the Gerudo’s, but he would also be the one bestowed with the crest of power. He would wreak havoc upon the world itself, and bring ruin to it. “He was fair,” Keras continued as she attacked Link, who held his ground and blocked, their blades clashed. She was stronger than him, and he barely had time to gain enough muscle, but he knew she was holding back as she pulled away, “and one day he began to get sick, and my people had thought their King would die, and he would choose a successor to carry on if he did succumb. If only we had known that when the King became well again, he changed into a terrible person. Unrecognizable.” She attacked again, and Link was attentive to each movement, gritting his teeth as she emphasized her story, “brutal,” their blades clashing, feet moving, grass pushing down, “hostile, demanding!” 

More and more, Link could see Keras’s own frustration, possibly something that has been held down for a long while. He didn’t blame her for it, her King had betrayed them in more ways than one, and she was a child when she arrived to Akyllan. When he had a met a Gerudo girl with long braided red hair, and dark brown skin. She was quiet, kept others at arm's reach, and it was only Dira’s impulsive personality that rose in waves that managed to cling to the girl herself. 

Link, who was already at Jin’s side, and mostly sleeping in before he could make it to class, barely noticed Keras until Dira had brought her along many times to his home. They became friends by association, and later on, when they got to know one another and Keras opened up, they were officially friend’s. The best of friend’s between the four of them.

“The change had a ripple effect upon my own people,” Keras said, her breath a lot more calmer than Link’s who was panting, and already sweat slid from his face that he wiped with his sleeve. “The women changed, and because of that, my mother, Sarese, and two of her friends, Eirel and Kovis, escaped along with my sister and I. I’ve known Akyllan for my entire life, and barely have any memory of the Gerudo Desert.”

Link stared at Keras, but there was no sorrow in her eyes. Did she feel something for a place she could not remember? Or did she hope that she could one day go back. Maybe once the Great King was gone from their world, she can take her mother and sister to the Gerudo City. Explore the world without the danger that surrounds them. 

He hoped she could, Keras was always closed off, emotionally, anyways. 

“One day, I hope things will change, maybe you and your family can return there, maybe it could be similar to the Zora’s not being sheltered within their Domain, or the Goron’s, not shutting others out.” 

“Or the Hylians,” Keras said, going back into a fighting position, “dying out.”

Maybe even the Sheikah’s can find their path after their legacy had been ripped from them when the royal family was murdered. 

Link and Keras returned to sparring, and Link asked about the four Gods she had mentioned earlier. She explained to him that once there were four in a different land, part of a different world, something she could barely understand, that the four held a moon into the sky because it was going to fall upon the world, and destroy it. The moon did not want to destroy the world, and it cried crystal tears that fell onto the ground. 

“Tricksters live in every world,” Keras told him when they stopped sparring, “they are dangerous foes wearing masks. Don’t trust someone who always wears a mask, you don’t know what they’re thinking, and most who wear them, are usually extremely dangerous and malevolent.”

“There are no good people who wear masks?” Link asked, sitting down onto the grass.

Keras smiled at his question. “There are some who do, but like I said, most are dangerous, that is why they are called tricksters, they don’t want others to know who they are beneath it. And many sometimes don’t wear masks, they can pretend to be your bestest friend in the world, those are the most ruthless.”

The door to the house opened, and Alvic stepped out, stretching his arms and yawning. He wore a pale tunic and brown clean trousers with no shoes. To Link, he looked more like any normal farm boy with a nice face. He was a little surprised he didn’t have anyone pining for him. 

Alvic glanced between Keras and Link before noticing what they had been doing. His brown-green eyes were alight with excitement. “You’re sparring! I want to spar!” 

Jin stood behind Alvic, wearing an irritated expression before lightly pushing Alvic out of the way. His gaze fell on Link who was rising from the grass, Master Sword in hand. His entire expression seemed to grow distant, while Dira side stepped him, crossing her arms and avoiding looking at Link who still seemed to have awakened with her resentment from yesterday.

Keras pointed at Link with her sword, “You go first, and we’ll see how you both do.” She smirked, and Link knew it was probably because she was the most skilled out of the two of them. He had seen Alvic fight within Hyrule Castle. He mostly took the Bokoblins and Moblins who were stuck within the barrier by surprise. Killing them instantly with the swing of his sword, and avoiding the black blood that sprayed out. 

Yet he never actually fought Alvic, and he was interested in seeing how well he did. 

Alvic returned with a short sword gripped in his right hand, and he wore a smile upon his lips, and a wild look in his eyes. Was he usually this excited in the morning. 

It was too late to ask when Alvic eventually did attack, and Link shoved him back, their blades clashing together while the sun beat down on them. The memories flickered in Link’s mind, distracting him from what was happening now until Alvic tripped him and he fell onto the grass, the Master Sword slipping from his fingers, and the tip of Alvic’s sword was pointed at Link’s neck, inches away at cutting him, except Alvic was careful, a winning smile spread on his face as he reached down and helped Link to his feet.

“Still need a lot to learn,” Keras told Link.

Link nodded, internally blaming the memories that distracted him. He reached down for the Master Sword and walked to the shade while Keras decided to go against Alvic in a sparring match.

Link wiped the sweat from his face, pushing back his hair and panting. He glanced to the side, and noticed Jin watching him, his expression curious, but nothing fell from his lips. Usually Jin had something to say, a sarcastic joke, maybe a reprimand, or something as careless as talking about dreams or the complains of sleeping on hard surfaces. 

Jin stayed quiet, and looked back to Keras fighting Alvic until the three of them against the wall noticed a man coming around the bend, he stopped, his gaze flickering upon the five of them and stopping on one.

“Alvic?” the man addressed, interrupting Keras and Alvic’s spar.

“Father!” Alvic said, panting with a flush of pink upon his cheeks as he walked past Keras towards the man. Link noticed the similarities between them, the brown hair, the tan skin, the pointed ears, except their eyes were different. The man’s eyes were a light shade of blue, while Alvic were more of a brown and green tone. 

Alvic hugged his father and walked him over to the four at the house. “I made some friend’s,” Alvic said, his excitement only growing as the man’s heavy gaze flitted to each of them, “but the one I did meet, and this is going to surprise you, because grandmother’s stories were true! He’s,” he pointed at Link who avoided looking at Alvic’s father, “is the Legendary Hero from her stories. It’s true, father, don’t look so skeptical.”

“Alvic,” his father said uneasily, “those were stories.”

“I know they were, but Link is really the Legendary Hero. You know that barrier around the old castle, he broke a part of it with a mark on the top of his hand.” Alvic stepped over to Link with a pleading look on his face, “Please show my father your crest.”

Link blinked, the attention was way to much, but he did as Alvic wanted and showed Alvic’s father the mark. It was still there, even how much Link thought maybe it wouldn’t. He didn’t understand why it wasn’t sinking in that he was the hero, but seeing it only confirmed his doubts. 

Alvic’s father, whom the rest of them learned, was named Rirror, was gazing hard at Link’s hand. His eyes only widening before looking directly at Link himself. The stare was too much, and Dira seemed to come to his help to Link’s surprise.

“He ascended a few days ago,” she told Rirror, pulling Link away from the stunned man. “He holds the Blade of Evil’s Bane that can only be pulled from the pedestal by the Hero himself. Link is truly who he is as Alvic has explained.”

Rirror nodded, his own face flushed. “It was nice to meet you, Link, truly, my mother has been telling the stories of the Legendary Hero to Alvic since he was only a child. And the same goes for me as I grew up. She was quite passionate about those stories.” He chuckled, placing a hand on Alvic’s shoulder. “I never thought my own son would meet you.”

Link smiled awkwardly, stepping closer to Jin who didn’t seem as interested in the conversation. He was mildly glaring at Alvic, and for once, was keeping his sarcastic mouth shut. 

The rest introduced themselves to Rirror who happily wanted to make them something to eat. And didn’t seem to mind that they stayed over for the night. 

“Father,” Alvic said, placing a hand on Rirror’s arm and looked at his father with a serious expression, “I want to go with Link and his friend’s, I know I can be of some help if I go.”

“I’m unsure about that decision,” Link interjected. He didn’t want to pull a son and father away from each other, and not on a quest like theirs. 

“I can be of some help,” Alvic pleaded, glancing between Link and his father, “I know I can.”

Rirror looked uncertain about Alvic’s hasty proposal. “I need to think about it.” He was almost to the door when Alvic once more grasped his arm. 

“There is no time to think about this, father!”

Link noted Jin anxiously rocking back and forth. He was impatient, possibly of the conversation, or why the four of them were somewhat still a part of this discussion. Jin hated stuff like this, even with the adults back in Akyllan when they were young, Jin would wander off with that same teeming boredom, dragging Link away who was actually interested in what the adults were talking about. They usually laughed with the smell of distinct alcohol on their breath, always harsh and hot that Link wondered how something sweet could be foul at the same time.

“If I wait, I’ll miss my chance,” Alvic continued, he wasn’t filled with that same excitement when they sparred, there was something a lot more mature and considering when he spoke to his father. The decision itself was a pressure on all of them, and Link knew that Alvic must want his father to understand this. 

It didn’t take as long for Link who wanted to go, and was suffering under those intense memories when his friend’s were worried for his safety. He didn’t even have a family to pull him back, to tell him that it wasn’t right, to care about where he would go and what he would do. He had watched his friend’s families do the same after Akyllan had been attacked. 

Link would’ve left them if they had stayed, he would have understood the decision. 

“Come inside, Alvic, we’ll talk in there while I get something cooked up for our guests,” Rirror told his son.

Once the door to the house closed, Dira let out a deep sigh, stretching her arms and speaking to Keras.

Jin nudged Link, “Come with me, I want to talk to you.”

Link nods, and looks to Keras and Dira, “We’ll be right back, and later on, after we eat, we’ll be heading for Death Mountain. So get ready, and maybe find some information about the place.” They both nodded, and he vaguely caught the sly smirk rising on Dira’s lips before she turned back to Keras.

Link followed Jin and the walk through the village was somehow quiet between them, tense and awkward. Link tried to distract himself while looking at the villagers. They were either in front of their shops, calling out what they were selling, or even children running by in groups. 

He reflected on the times Jin had done this. Made him nervous to the point he wanted to turn around and run the other way. His best friend always seems to make him anxious in different collective ways. It was either a prank, a secret, a confession of who he was kissing behind whatever building within Akyllan, or something he had stolen from the adults or a shop. Years had gone by, and Jin grew more secretive, and a lot more mature than petty thief, but he still hadn’t changed. 

Jin lead him through a narrow street and they climbed over a low white fence that needed a new layer of paint, and into the forest. The shade helped Link’s need to get away from the sun while he wiped off more sweat. His clothes were bound to smell sooner or later. Maybe he could wash them before they leave Emelle. 

And then Jin stopped, turning around and grinning at Link as they stood alone. “I found more apples,” Jin said to Link, pointing up, and Link followed and found himself blinking at a group of round red apples hanging above. There were even rotten ones at the bottom, but not as much, possibly picked by the villagers, or even from creatures at night that needed to scavenge.

“You really like apples,” Link says, reaching for one and plucking it off a branch, the movement had made several others fall around them.

Jin chuckled, reaching down and picking one up. “I’d say we both do, we can have a snack before return to Alvic’s house.”

“I wonder what his dad is cooking for us,” Link mused, “hopefully something good.”

They began picking more apples, and sitting down on the grass. Link closed his eyes, enjoying the sweet taste filling his mouth and going down his throat. The warm air even cooled his skin that wasn’t as heated as it was during his sparring matches against Keras and Alvic. 

“Do you remember when we were younger and all we wished for was to go on an adventure,” Jin said. Link nods, biting into the apple and tossing the core. “I enjoyed those times, when it was just us and no one else.”

Link relaxed at the memory of him and Jin before Dira and Keras joined their group. It was lonely before Jin, a feeling Link didn’t think he would get over until they became best friends.

“You were my first friend when I first came to Akyllan,” Link says, chuckling.

There was a drawn out silence, and Link opened his eyes to peer at Jin. He was staring at him peculiarly, frowning at him. 

“You’ve always lived in Akyllan, Link.” 

Link blinked slow, laughing and dropping an apple behind him. “I’m sorry, Jin. All those memories are jumbled up inside my head. I can’t tell which is which, mixing together.” He rose from the grass and the group of apples while Jin stared, waiting for Link to continue, and Link looked up at the sunlight streaming through the branches thick with green leaves. “Sometimes I think I should go find Malon.” 

“What?” Jin asked softly, getting to his feet. 

Link ran a hand through his hair, his own heart racing at his words. He laughs again, at the memories, at the words, and the places, and the images inside of his head as he turns away from Jin and his piercing gaze. “I need to find Ilia,” that was his objective, right? “I wonder where she is,” Link reaches for an apple upon a lower branch and plucks it off, staring at it, “I hope Prince Ralis is okay.”

He’s about to bite into the apple, to taste the warm sweetness on his tongue, and to make sense of what he’s saying. Except, a hand drops on his shoulder, and he’s forcefully pulled around and shoved against the tree. The apple topples from his hand, and Jin’s is pressed to his shoulders, keeping him pinned to the tree as he stares hard into Link’s eyes.

“You need to stay in the present, Link.” Jin has always been known to be harsh, not like Dira, or Keras, but his own was cold under the surface, a dormant energy underneath his smiles. “I know it hurts, that it bothers you, but you have to make sense of it.”

Link returns Jin’s stare, but his isn’t as intense, “But I do make sense of it, Jin.”

And his gaze falls, his resolve crumbles as he drops his hands from Link’s shoulders and steps back. “What did we do a week ago?” he asked him in a soft and sad tone.

Link picks another apple, humming the song he had heard within an ancient wood. 

“Stop doing that,” Jin says while following Link. 

He stops, frowning, “Do you think we’ll find them?”

“Who?”

“The Sages,” Link turns around, his brows knitted together, confused at Jin’s question, shouldn’t his own best friend know what they were doing? “They’re trapped in their temples.” Shaking his head at the flickering images, at his racing heart, at how wrong and right everything feels. “I don't think I can get them out of their portraits, but I have too.”

He continues through the trees, humming her song. 

And Jin, who had stopped a mere few seconds, followed Link, and answered in a whisper, “I don’t know.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I haven't figured out the ending yet, but I have figured out partially what happens, and it's going to get dark, but that's not until after the 50th chapter and onward. :)
> 
> I hope you enjoy my fic!
> 
> Comments and/or Kudo's are appreciative!


	29. Strong Feelings Never Waning

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jin cares a lot for Link, but he has his doubts about it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another Jin chapter. Shorter than Link's.
> 
> I hope you enjoy.
> 
> Comments and/or Kudo's are appreciative.

Jin walked behind the others, wiping sweat from his forehead. They’ve been walking along a well known path toward Death Mountain. Leaving Emelle behind about an hour ago, and he had to watch Alvic hugging his dad, Rirror, while the older man had tried not to cry as he waved his son off with his new found friends. And when Jin thought of _‘new found friends,’_ it was an awkward sort of truth since Alvic did just meet them, and spent a few hours with Link inside the Castle. It didn’t mean the guy could trust them right away, but he clung to Link’s side since they left, talking Link’s ear off, who didn’t seem to mind in the least.

“I was trapped in this place filled with dead people once,” Link told Alvic.

“Whoa!” Alvic said, his brows rose, and his smile widened, “what was this place?”

“A Hyrulean graveyard.”

Alvic nodded, “I think I heard that story from my grandmother, you’re going to have to give me details. Maybe this time I can tell her some stories!”

Dira slowed her pace, walking beside Jin and giving him a frown and most likely pitiful expression he was trying to ignore. “You’re letting him wander off with someone else.”

“He’s talking like he was actually there,” Jin said, not bothering to glare at either of them, he did feel an exhaustion that weighed him down, his shoulders slumped, and he dragged his feet on the dirt road. What he did enjoy was the trees on the sides that allowed shade to hide them from the blazing sun.

“You think he’s delusional?” Keras asked.

Jin nods. “He doesn’t know what’s going on anywhere. His memories of his past lives are blending in too much. I can’t get through to him and Alvic is only fanning the flames.”

Jin watches Alvic wrap an arm around Link’s shoulder, pulling him against his side, and pressing a kiss to his forehead. He hadn’t noticed until Keras and Dira looked back at him while he stopped in the middle of the road, staring wide eyed at what he had just witnessed.

“Don’t worry,” Alvic says, letting go of Link and laughing, “I’ll protect you from Dead Hands.”

Dira continued to pity Jin as she said, “You had your chance.”

He did, and he hated that, he wanted to do something about it. Except he hesitated like every other time, and instead he sighed and released the built up tension.

“He’s not mine, and I’m not his.” Jin continued walking, avoiding looking at Link and Alvic, and found interest in the grooves of their footsteps in the dirt instead, “Maybe I can find someone…”

“Like you’ve done so many times in Akyllan?” Dira asked.

“Bad habit,” Keras said.

Jin wouldn’t have considered it a bad habit once, but after awhile, he was simply trying to rid his mind of other things. “Not like you two would understand.”

Dira scoffed, “Oh, no, I guess we don’t. I mean, the girl I like is back at the Zora’s Domain because I’d rather have her protect her prince, her people, instead of coming on this quest with us, while you can’t even confess to the guy you like since you two were kids, but sure, we don’t understand.”

Jin frowned and the same swell of shame built up inside of him. He muttered an apology before walking ahead to overhear Link and Alvic’s conversation. He figured maybe he could talk to them, know what they were talking about. Maybe even rid that tension that was twisting inside Jin’s gut.

“I know what he wanted to say…” Link said, “but it wasn’t the time to hear it.”

He blinked, his heart racing at Link’s soft words. What was he talking about.

“Will you say something to the prince the next time you see him?” Alvic asked.

“I’m not sure, I have to deal with this first,” Link told Alvic, shrugging his shoulders.

Oh.

That’s who they were talking about.

Jin slowed his pace, falling back, away from Dira and Keras while Jin once more simmered in his own rage. They were talking about Prince Zale.

Once he knew how to deal with these emotions that tightly wound in his body. He wanted a distraction, something to stop him from thinking too much, from wanting to do something a lot more terrible than he should. Except he had no where to put those tense emotions.

 _Why do you change me so much?_ He wanted to ask Link, a question he pondered over and over again as the years went by, and they grew and became men in the eyes of their village. Yet not many things changed between them. Link was still lazy, he liked sleeping in, and enjoyed reading books in the back of Eren’s library. Now, he was a swordsmen with too much on his mind, memories of other lives filling him up, and shoving the present to the side.

All Jin could offer was an apple and a presence that was more like a shadow, sooner or later, his light will block him out, and he won’t matter anymore.

He wanted to matter, more than anything.


	30. A Friend of a Past and Present

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Link and his friend's are trying to figure out what they're going to do, but Link runs into a friend of his from a past life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a lot shorter than normally, but that's okay, I don't actually like writing long chapters cause then I get bored and tired. 
> 
> I hope you enjoy.
> 
> Comments and/or Kudo's are appreciative.

“Since they’re dragon has been awakened from its slumber, the Goron’s won’t let anyone else upon Death Mountain,” Keras told them as they neared the volcano, the lava was present upon it, yet wasn’t in an active state. Keras told them that the Goron’s knew how to manage it, and have been doing this for centuries. “It’s been destroying the inside of the mountain, and for several years, the Goron's have forbade any visitors upon it.”

Link stared at it, he had to go up there, even if there was a rule that none of them could. It wasn’t going to stop them, and surely, it wasn’t going to stop any of his other friend’s who had come along with him.

He turned to face each one of them and said, “We have to do this, against any rules that block our way, we have too. Killing the dragon is our core mission right now.”

“Why are we going to kill it?” Jin asked, standing to his far left side next to Keras.

“In Zelda’s notes, she told me that I have to retrieve the dragon’s heart,” Link answered, he was determined and encouraged by what he had read before they left Emelle itself. He wanted to make sure that this is what they needed to do, and Zelda was explicit with this request.

“You’re going by her notes?” Dira asked, skeptical, glancing down to where he placed his hand against his chest where the papers were folded on the inside of his coat, “also, they’re going to burn if you go up there.” She placed her hand to her hip, and arched a brow at Link’s lost expression.

“Someone’s going to have to stay behind,” Keras said.

“I will,” Dira volunteered right away, which made Link awkwardly suspicious, and she noticed the look on his face, “I want to look the notes over. You’re going to have to find potions, cream, some new clothes to hold off the insane heat.” She fanned her face with her hand.

She was right, they’re going to have too. Link thought this over as he led his companions along the dirt path until they heard the sounds of music and voices up ahead. He quickened his pace and they turned around a bend of trees and tall grass to see a village.

“Finally,” Alvic rushed by, “I’m so thirsty!”

They followed Alvic toward the village and Link caught sight of something strange to the far left of him. A group of people were speaking around a man sitting on a wooden chair. Link slowed his pace, his brows pushed together as recognition slowly blossomed in his head as he turned his attention toward him and sauntered over.

He was one of many vendors hanging around the town. Shock and confusion filled his mind as he stared at the man. Several questions piled up as he gazed at him, gaping, and unsure of what he’s meant to say.

A memory flashed in his head, one of a man in a balloon, another of him holding an overly large bag, greeting everyone who came to him with a smile. He was the same as many he had seen over the years, and he walked right over to the man, ignoring his friend’s calling his name.

“Beedle?”

The man glanced up, blinking at Link. Relief falls over Link in a wave of warmth as he smiles at the man he had known many times over in past lives. His dark hair was still in a bowl shape, and by the beetle prints, he still enjoyed those types of insects.

He was an old friend, one he hadn’t met yet, but who he knew in different timelines.

Beedle returns the smile, leaning close. “Hey. I’ve never seen you before and I travel practically everywhere, and I have no idea how I could miss someone like you, you’re gorgeous.”

Link chuckled at the compliment, completely relieved to see Beedle again, but there was also the awkward feeling of being watched from his actual friend’s a few feet away from him. He decided to ignore them as he said, “I can’t believe you’re here.”

He and Beedle hugged, making the man more confused, while laughing and trying to catch up with him. This was an odd turn of events, strange even, but Link didn’t mind in the least, he’ll have to explain to his friend’s later.


	31. The Favor

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jin is annoyed, but he and his friend's soon come upon a Goron who wants to ask them for something.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm obviously burning out with this story. Writing so much for it this week really made me feel bored and less interested. I might work on something else, but I'll try to update if I can. :D
> 
> I hope you enjoy.
> 
> Comments and/or Kudo's are appreciated.

“I’m understanding where you’re frustration is coming from,” Dira said, standing beside Jin who nods, covering his face with his hands. Both Keras and Alvic also were standing with them, all of them in clear view of Link speaking to Beedle. 

“I thought maybe he was shy,” Alvic said, shaking his head and crossing his arms, he wore an amazed expression at Link’s demeanor. “But he’s actually like that.”

“Oblivious,” Keras remarked.

Jin dropped his hands and looked at the man Link was speaking too. There wasn’t anything overly remarkable about him, he was thin with a long face, a brown hair trimmed into a bowl cut, thin and lanky. 

Dira nudged Jin in the arm and they walked over to Link to join him. The merchant glanced at each of them, beaming his interest while holding a notepad in his hand, another with a pencil.

“This is Beedle,” Link introduced, pointing at each of his friend’s as he also gave their names to the merchant.

“Is there anything that interests you?” Beedle asked, and Jin glances at Link who is smiling at the man. Why does he smile so much with other people? Why does he have to do it constantly?

“Do you have anything we can use to go up the mountain without burning our skin off?” Jin asked, indifferently, or at least trying to sound it without gaining any odd looks. He was annoyed, but lately that wasn’t going away any time soon since they began their journey. 

Beedle beamed at the question, “Ah, yes, I have this rather peculiar red jelly.” He took it out from his pack. It was in a jar, and it did look like jelly, or more likely someone’s insides moving around as if it were still alive. “This will help with the heat, but it doesn’t last long.” He shrugged while the rest of them leaned closer at the jar in Beedle’s hand, “Maybe, thirty or sixty minutes. Depends on how much you drink.”

Dira grimaced. “We have to...drink that?” 

“Not you,” Link said, but he smiled at Beedle while the man set the jar down beside him, tapping his pencil against the notepad. 

It was fascination, something that confused Jin since the man didn’t look that interesting besides what was inside his huge bag that he lugged around by himself. It didn’t stop Jin from being annoyed at Link, mostly when his attention was on other people. 

First, Prince Zale, second, Alvic, and now thirdly, Beedle. 

He steps away from Link who doesn’t notice, and tries to calm the fire of possessiveness inside of him, it burned his insides, and wrapped around his rage. He wanted to yank Link away from everyone who caught his eye, but he couldn’t. Instead, Jin counted his breathes and listened to Beedle continue his conversation about the mountain.

“There’s a vendor within Wick,” Beedle pointed to the village, “that sells certain types of clothing that can withstand the heat. The Goron’s created them for this purpose, but I’m not sure if they’re selling anything more now that they don’t allow anyone else upon the mountain itself.”

“Thank you, Beedle,” Link says, “and it was nice to see you again.”

Link walked by the man who gave him an odd expression but went back to humming. The rest of them follow Link into the town and to their great revelation, they come upon Goron’s. 

Large pale brown rocks wandering by them, smiling wide, and radiating happiness. They aren’t as amazed at their group as much as they are towards them. 

“They exist,” Dira whispers.

“Why do you think they don’t?” Keras asked.

Dira shrugs. “Garik and some of the others had talked about the Gorons, and I never thought they were be so…” her eyes widened as another walked by them, “big...at least bigger than us.”

Alvic was the only one who wasn’t as amazed, he was mostly confused by their own reactions. “I’m guessing none of you ever left your village...what was it called?”

“Akyllan,” Jin answered.

“Yeah, you all sound so sheltered.”

Maybe they were sheltered. Lok did horseback riding in Hyrule Plains, but that’s when some of the men and women would check for any monsters nearby. And Jin would go hunting with Keras and several others, but they wouldn’t go far. Truly, there was a strong fear that stemmed from the war, including the scourge.

Jin stayed close to the group until Link walked ahead toward a Goron standing by a shop. Link wasn’t usually the type who would go up and talk to someone, but this was interesting when he did, introducing them again, and while the Goron seemed to regard them with its own type of interest.

“Garo,” the Goron introduced, “I’m Garo.

“We were wondering if there were any clothing for us,” Link said, pointing at his friend’s, the Garo glanced at each one of them.

“Three Hylians, a Sheikah, a Gerudo,” Garo spoke, sounding intrigued. “There are some inside, but I’m not sure if you’ll be able to go up the mountain, it’s good enough to wear for fun.” 

Link smiled, bouncing with each step as he led his friend’s inside. Jin looked at the different types of clothing. He felt the fabric, it was loose, thin, but there were even a sort of armour that needed attaching. Garo explained it would shield their types from the mountain’s intense heat, crafted by the Goron’s, and perfected. 

Dira stepped back, blinking, before she turned and grasped a hold of Link’s arm before dragging him out of the shop, followed by the others. 

“What’s wrong?” Link asked once Dira let go of him. 

“What’s wrong?” Dira scoffed, “are you serious? It’s way too expensive for us! We didn’t bring a lot of rupee’s with us to pay for something that much.”

“Who would’ve known things cost a large sum,” Alvic said, smiling, and placing his hands behind his head.

Jin shook his head and caught the frown on Link’s face, a contemplated expression surfaced as his brows pinched together, and he placed a hand against his chin, fingers covering his mouth.

“If it’s not for nothing,” Garo interrupted them, “I can lower the price for a favor.”

“What kind of favor?” Keras asked once Link beamed at the proposal.

“Kill an elemental for me,” Garo said, and they were all taken aback, but the Goron hastened his words, “the being is at the bottom of the mountain to the east, it’s called The Scald. It lingers near hot water pockets, if you return with its essence, I’ll lower the cost.” 

Garo went back to his shop, and they followed him, Link a lot more interested while the others stayed hesitant. 

“I’ll give you three jars,” Garo spoke, passing them the clear jars with large corks, “and the prices will go down for three of the clothing.”

“Obviously, Link will go,” Dira said, placing a hand on her hip, “maybe even you, Keras?”

She nodded, “I’ll go.”

Alvic raised his hand, “And I—”

“I’ll go too,” Jin said, interrupting, and glaring at Alvic who backed up, smiling. 

Link nodded, turning back to Garo. “Alright, we’ll be back soon, thank you for giving us this opportunity.” Garo nodded, giving Link a smile as they headed off out of Wick. 

Jin once more walked behind them, dragging his foot on the dirt path, and when he glanced up, there was a sharp pain in his chest, one that stabbed him deeply at the sight of Link and Alvic walking beside each other, completely at ease of each other’s presence. 

He blinked, the sun was in his eyes, but there was something else that was strange about Link and Alvic. There was someone else walking beside them, a shadow of someone else that wasn’t Dira or Keras’s. 

And the shadow turned around to look at him, a shape of Link with glowing red eyes, and a malicious smile. It waved, and when Jin blinked again, it was gone.


	32. Old Flames & Hard Truths

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Link, Keras, Dira, and Jin are sparring together, but it soon becomes more personal when only he and Jin fight.

A few hours after they left Wick, they stopped for a break under a few trees. Keras had mentioned a sparring match against the four of them, and Dira had rose with her sword taken from her sheath, happily joining in the fun while Link backed away from Alvic. They stood across from one another, each with their weapons held in their hands as they all bore smiles before they clashed together. 

Back and forth, Link grunted as he blocked Alvic’s attack, his ear twitched when Keras and Dira’s blade sang before they were both pushed to the side. He made sure to watch Alvic’s movements, to notice his cue signs, the aggression that rose without the same pride he had exhibited that morning. Link was simply distracted by memories, but this was different.

He didn’t back down, and Alvic seemed to notice that. Sweat glinted upon Alvic’s soft tan skin, while Link wiped away his own. 

“You’re more aware,” Alvic commented.

“Link doesn’t have any formal training from Akyllan,” Dira told Alvic, she clutched her sword, keeping her eyes on Keras, a smile on her lips. She was radiating excitement, and it seemed to fuel her. “He’d rather be hiding, sleeping, or slacking off, Link isn’t what you would consider a warrior in our village. He’s more a village fool than anything else.”

Alvic chuckled, “I’m impressed.”

Jin scoffed from the side, he got up from the grass, his own sword held in his hand. “It’s because of all of his past lives are giving him the training he never participated in.”

Link grinned, “Are you calling me a cheater?”

Jin, with his dark hair and smirk that held strong intent said, “I wouldn’t call it any other way.” 

He rolled his eyes, Jin was always like this, wanting to prove a point even if he was silent about it in the past. “Alright, smartass, you want this don’t you?” 

Jin went still, blinking at him, words falling flat before rising as his smirk told Link of a challenge, one that he didn’t know was coming. “You have no idea,” he said in a calm yet knowing way. 

It was hot under the sun, but Link’s insides warmed by Jin’s words, by his gaze, and he clutched the handle to the Master Sword and got into position, he returned the same smirk and said, “Come and get it then.”

Their own blades clashed, and Link realized his error when Jin was a lot faster than he was. He moved in a way that he knew how to wield a sword, practice after practice, day after day, Link swore inwardly at himself. Jin was trained with Keras by the village swordsman, Vollon. The man was old, but capable, gruff, yet sincere. When most of the kids grew of age, and were able to handle themselves in a fight without crying out to their parents, Vollon would train them in swordfighting. 

At first he was soft against the trainees, but as time went on, he grew more and more sharp and impatient. 

Link, who was not interested in sword fighting was once scolded by the man. He was old enough to fight, to hold a sword, to know how to defend himself and the village. Except Link didn’t want to fight, he didn’t even want to leave the village without a reason that didn’t put him in harm’s way. Vollon had called him a selfish cowardly boy.

He guessed when he was pushed against a wall with too many enemies around him, and his friend’s in increasingly danger, meant that he was forced to take upon a sword himself, and protect his friend’s. He would be dead if he didn’t have the crest, or the memories that flowed through his mind of all the others who had come before him, who knew how to wield a sword, to fight relentlessly, they all knew who to kill without a second thought when others who mattered were in danger of dying. 

Link would consider his own skills as a raw subsection from what Jin, Keras, and Dira had gone through. He may know how to wield a sword, copied his past lives with each foot work, grip, breath control, and instinct. He didn’t have enough skill to know when it was fully muscle memory, and when Link was only pretending to understand. 

Their swords clashed in rhythm, but soon Dira had cut past Keras and slashed against Link’s and Jin’s swords. An eager smile rising to her lips as she slashed at Link who blocked her attack, moving quick towards him, while Keras attacked Jin. They moved again in rhythm, switching between each other, all of it completely aggressive under the straining sun. 

Soon, Link was met with Jin, sweat beaded on their faces, panting light as adrenaline centered them. He needed to be faster, sharper, more skilled without the memories that backed him up. He needed to know when to move, how to move, and to make sure he can stay alive long enough in battle.

And then he shoved Jin back, stunning him a brief moment, before moving forward and tripping Jin while disarming his sword from his hand. 

“Ah!” Jin fell hard onto his back upon the flattened grass while the trees moved by the wind, shading Jin as he stared up at Link in shock. 

Link panted, a smile pulling taut on his face, and it was only a moment when he noticed it, but there was a change in Jin’s eyes, they dilated while staring up at him. Link shuddered, skin prickling, heart racing while not being able to pull away from his friend’s gaze until Dira cleared her throat.

“I thought you were sparring,” she smirked, “not flirting with each other.”

Link scoffed, pushing back his hair, “What, we can’t do both?” he asked, reaching down and grasping Jin’s hand, pulling his friend to his feet.

It was a split moment, but Link parried Jin’s sneak attack when he managed to grasp his discarded sword. 

“The only time you’re aware is when you’re fighting,” Jin remarks, straightening and rolling his shoulders back.

Link shrugged, “I’m trying to stay alive.”

“True, but I wish you can be a little less oblivious.” 

“Like how?” Link asked, confused, and bringing up his sword again to block Jin’s incoming attack. He was a bit more aggressive this time, pushing him back and wearing  a more passive expression that seemed somehow off to Link. 

“Beedle was flirting with you,” Jin states.

Link scoffed, he hadn’t thought of it like that, but apparently Jin did. “So did Paka before you dated her.” He shouldn’t have brought her up, but it came out anyways, and Jin frowned at the mention of her name, he slashed at Link’s sword, and Link backed away while the others watched them spar, “And Lora, Iria, Zan, Val, and Kallo.”

Years and years of them growing up, and Jin finding interest in other people, leaving Link to wander Erin’s bookshop, sliding the books into shelves, or sleeping amongst a stack of them. Sometimes fishing was a good pastime, or sleeping in his house, waiting for Jin, but they were growing up, and Link wasn’t so sure about what would come after. 

Jin sneered, but it was half-hearted as he rushed Link who moved to the side, watching Jin’s aggression making him wobbly, thoughts pulling him in and out of concentration. “Didn’t want anyone to date you.”

A bubble of laughter left Link’s mouth and it only annoyed Jin that he had brought up old flames. Jin was an open book, he liked to hide things, but they were there right in front of him, easy to read. 

“I noticed, and I’m not stupid.” He was amused by Jin’s fluctuating emotions and thoughts, unsure of where to step while Link played with Jin, pushing him back and pulling him forward, one step to the side, backing away, forward, like a dance with the wind wrapping around them. “You could’ve told me you wanted them...I would’ve backed off.”

Link didn’t like talking about relationships, but there were times when he told Jin what he thought. Their secrets only seemed to grow as the years went by, and Link hid himself in his house. It seemed fitting when Jin became used to flirting with everyone their age.

Jin stopped at what Link had said, staring at him, “They’re not who I wanted.”

Shrugging, Link loosened his hold on the handle of his sword. “It seemed like it, at the time.” Jin shook his head, brows knitted together, perplexed, while finding the words, but Link was indifferent. “I don’t care. I don’t want to talk about it anymore.”

Jin met Link’s eyes that held sorrow and simmering rage. “You’ll never understand.”

Link twisted the sword in his hand, smiling, “Maybe, but it doesn’t matter. I don’t have time to fall in love like you did.” He turned toward Alvic who was standing with Dira and Keras, the three of them wearing faint expressions that weren’t exactly disappointment or even surprised. It didn’t matter, Link waved for Alvic and the man stepped forward with his own sword, he was quite eager as he drew close. 

Before he and Alvic began, Link noticed Jin walking away from them and toward the forest. He was leaving behind his sword sticking from the earth. 

He wavered, a stab of pain in his chest. Did he hurt his friend for what he had said about his old flames? He wanted to tell Jin they had to get over past feelings and romances. 

It’s not like any of them have time for that while trying to save a Kingdom.


	33. The Scalding

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Link and his friend's find the creature the Goron, Garo, had told them about, and battle it for its essence.

Later in the evening, they made their way to the bottom of the mountain to the east, and there they found the hot water pockets the Goron, Garo, was speaking of. They had felt it in the air, the warmth of the wind had faded, and the smell of the air simmered and dried out.

“We’re close,” Dira said, taking out her sword, the others followed after her.

Link raised his head, peering up at something floating around the boiling water within craters. The steam was thick in the air as this odd creature moved above it all in a translucent way. It looked close to a stream, but there was a physical attachment to it, around the head, arms, and legs as it changed its shape to humanoid and then a blob.

“The Scald,” Alvic whispered, taking out his bow he received from his father, including an arrow on the string.

“We have to be careful,” Keras told him, placing a hand on his arm, “if we do this wrong, this thing can kill us.”

“The Goron really thought incredibly high of us, didn’t he?” Link muttered, mostly to himself. It was the coward part of him that spoke those words in such a sarcastic way, he wanted to laugh to himself, possibly walk away and lie in some grass and fall asleep while the sun soaked the air around him. He wanted to enjoy himself.

Except those days would always be a reminder that he had chosen the crest, the sword, the responsibility. It was no one else but himself, and this was who he is from then on.

He takes out the Master Sword from his sheath, the last to do so unlike his friend’s who were ready for a battle.

He had to be ready. And before he could speak the command of what they were going to do, he was stunned to the grass he was knelt in, his entire body pulsed with that same feeling of memories that began its onslaught onto his mind.

It touched him, tracing the memories throughout his body as each version of him with the dusk like hair pulled back their arm and let go of the arrow. It shot through the air and pierced monster after monster. A few times he had missed, they had caught his attention, he sprinted towards the fallen arrow that had struck the earth. He tore it out, and shot it again, ending the creature with relentless speed, not a sign of hesitation in his body that thrummed. A reminder, all of it, sustaining him, but leaving him off balanced as he tried to sort through them while his friend’s spoke of their plan. He had to stay in the present, he had to stay with them, and he fought for that control.

Keras was the one who shot the Scald with the arrow. It had gone through it, and it turned, its passive white eyes changed to a furious red. It let out a terrible screech that shoved Link back into the present, fully in control as he gasped for air.

“Move,” he told his friend’s, and they listened to them as they separated through the grass, Link’s feet hitting the hard surface as heat was pulled up and he could feel it in the soles of his shoes.

He twisted around when he heard a scream and he caught sight of Alvic on the ground, his sleeve was soaked and steam was coming off of it. His face twisted in pain as he scrambled back, gasping for air, when Dira appeared at his side and used a small knife, tearing at the sleeve of his shirt and yanking it off. Before she could pull him away from the Scald that advanced, it had struck Dira in the shoulder and along her arm.

Her own scream was horrifying, but it didn’t stop her and Alvic as they raced away from the Scald that hovered in the air. Alvic’s skin was red and puckered, and surely Dira’s would be the same as she had torn her own tunic to get the sleeve off. They managed to escape into the woods where the trees hid them.

“Link,” Jin called, and he twisted around, climbing the craggy rock behind a large boulder with Jin. Keras has also gotten to a higher vantage point, pointing her arrows at the Scald who seemed to be looking for Alvic and Dira. “We should be the decoys for Keras, it’ll give us more room to figure out how to kill it.”

Link nodded, and they separate. Link sliding down the rocky slant and sprinting along the hard surface and into the soft grass. He took out his bow and arrow and pulled back his arm. Memories flickered, but not as harshly, and he managed to shoot the Scald. The arrow this time hadn’t gone through, it hit the Scald in the physical part of its watery form.

 _We have to get its attention._ He did it again, shooting arrow after arrow before finding cover as the Scald moved towards him swiftly through the air. Screeching harsh in the air as Link lowered to the ground behind a tree, covering his ears and gritting his teeth.

He glanced over and spotted Jin shooting his own arrows at the Scald, hitting it where Link had done.

Taking out the Master Sword, he left the safety of the trees and tossed the sword into the air at the Scald. It almost hit right through, but the Scald had moved, and the sword cut into the earth before vanishing and appearing right back into Link’s hand. The weight surprised him, and he wouldn’t think he’d ever get over how it simply returns to him. Summoned or not, it was his.

Keras attacked it from her higher vantage point, and managed to lower it to the ground, giving it heavy damage as a part of the Scald began to break apart completely. It turns around, screeching once more, and Keras was so close that it forced her to drop the bow and arrows, letting out her own scream while Link rushes toward Keras.

He already had two friend’s injured, he couldn’t have another.

Jin slides down from an upper tier along the rocky surface, jumping over a hot water pocket, his face red from exertion and the heats as he slides down on the ground, grasps the bow and arrows, and pulls back his arm, pointing the tip toward the Scald hovering above Keras.

He didn’t have any training with a bow-and-arrow unlike everyone else who did. Except it was close enough that Jin managed to shoot it right into the chest where one of the remaining portion of its weak spot was. They needed to get the last one, and recover its essence. Then Link would be able to up the mountain to retrieve its heart.

_I have to do this._

There was a desperate echo inside his head with those words while his heart raced. And he was frightened by what he would do if there was a line he had to cross to get what he wanted.

Link tossed the sword again, aiming for the last remaining part. And when he did, the Scald was furious and slashed at the sword where it flung to the side, embedding once more into the earth.

Jin who was the closest, rushed towards it, grasped the handle and tore it out. He flung the sword at the Scald that was almost at the same height as where Jin was, and the sword cut into the last part, slicing through it completely as the Scald went still, screaming, before its form fell apart into pools of water on the ground.

“Jin!” Alvic called, his hair was askew, and his shirt was ripped where the red puckered skin was shown. He tossed the jars towards him, and Jin reached for them as they rolled, and he pulled the corks out, dropping them on the ground as he scooped up the water in the jars.

His hands are red and he’s gasping for air as he shakily pushes the corks into the jars and falls backwards.

Link sheathes the Master Sword when it returns to him as he jogs over to him. Jin’s entire attention is on the jars, and the remaining water on the ground that bubbles. He isn’t focused on his hands that are red and puckering, skin peeling.

Link falls to his knees and envelops Jin in a hug, and Jin shudders against him, most likely from pain as Link moves back. “You’re an idiot. You could’ve died!”

Jin laughs, but it’s filled with both pain and relief. “I...I couldn’t let it kill any of you. I-I had to fight.”

“And you did,” Link assures him, “you protected us and I think the sword seen your courage and let you hold it for that brief time until you were able to defeat the Scald.”

“Maybe I’m chosen,” Jin says.

Link smiles at the sentiment, “You’re always chosen.” He helps Jin to his feet and is a little hesitant on gathering up the jars that could still be too hot to touch. He took off his tunic while Keras was helping Alvic and Dira. He helps Jin over to their friend’s, and Link winces at Dira gasping against a tree, her shoulder was bleeding and red, while Alvic who had managed to rise to his feet for the brief time to pass Jin the jars, had fallen to his knees with his own burn on his arm.

Keras turned to Link, an urgency in her eyes. “Link, dump one of the jars out, go find a stream of cold water, and return here. Go, quickly!”

It had only registered for a moment before he nodded, placing down two of the jars and dumping out one. Keras was helping Jin sit down, and from the way he wasn’t fully paying attention, he was in shock by the burns on his hands. Link covered the empty jar and sprinted away from his friend’s, smelling the air and seeking out water as he listened. He didn’t stop until he found it. A river of water, cool at the touch as he filled the jar and headed back to his friend’s.

When he returned to his friend’s, Keras was placing honey on some of their wounds. She glanced back at Link, giving him a nod and telling him what to do.

“We can’t keep them here,” she told Link, pulling him away from their trembling friend’s, “we have to return to Wick.”

“That’s a few hours walk,” Link said, his heart racing, unable to look at his friend’s who were all in shock.

Keras nodded, resolution on her face as she said, “And that’s why we have to do this quickly. The honey will help for some time, and the water will cool down the burn. But we need an ointment, I’m sure Wick has something there for burns, and we must go now!”

“What about a potion?” Link asked, holding a small jar from his pack.

“It won’t help the burn completely,” Keras tells him, lifting Dira to her feet, and Link wincing at Dira’s choked gasp. “We have to get them to a healer, Link!”

He passed each of them a sip of the potion, and whatever relief it did, they were able to walk enough as Link helped Jin, and Keras managed both Dira and Alvic.

He placed the cool jar of water on Jin’s hands, not enough pressure that it would stick, and it seemed to push away the fog in Jin’s eyes. He muttered to himself, breathing deeply in and out, while leaning into Link.

“You’ll be okay,” Link whispered, hoping that it would be true. He switched the water a few times between his friends, and when they stopped to rest. He searched for a stream to switch out the water.

It was late at night when they returned back to Wick. Link rushed through the village and found a healer with long white haired in a braid down his back. He was a Sheikah named Vyl, and Link told the man about his friend’s. Vyl waved for an attendant and they hurried over to their friends who were making their way into the village. Leading them to the infirmary, during the late hour, Vyl looked over their wounds and set a type of cream over them, something that was created by both the Goron’s, Sheikah’s, and Hylian’s, perfecting a type of soothing cream from burns.

Around three in the morning, Vyl had awakened Link and Keras who were in the foyer room, waiting for an assessment.

“It’ll take a few days for them to fully heal,” Vyl said, “they shouldn’t be doing anything strenuous from then on.”

“We’re travelers,” Keras said, “by the time they heal, will any of them be able to wield a sword properly.”

Vyl nodded. “It’ll take some time, but yes.”

“Thank you,” Link tells the man, and he walks away while he turns to Keras, “they aren’t coming up the mountain.”

Keras shook her head, leading Link down the hall to their friend’s rooms. The were no doors but sheets on either sides of the occupied rooms as Keras crossed her arms, “There are only two jars, and unfortunately, Link, I’m staying behind to make sure they’re okay. I don’t want to do this unless you want to wait—”

Link shook his head, and maybe fate was cruel in its own way. “No. It’s fine, Keras.” He knew now he had to go up the mountain by himself, without his friend’s to help him through this ordeal.

“Are you sure?” she asked, frowning at him.

Link nodded. “It’s my destiny, right? One way or another, I’ll be the one who has to face those trials alone.”

“This is only one ordeal,” Keras placed a hand on Link’s shoulder, “don’t worry yourself, they’ll get better, and we’ll do this together.”

Link wasn’t so sure, and when Keras took a chair between Dira and Alvic’s rooms, crossing one leg over the other, and her arms across her chest, she closed her eyes.

Link hesitantly entered Jin’s room and found him sleeping on the bed. His hands were wrapped loosely in white bandage while he was covered in a white sheet. His hair was unkempt, and his face was no longer as red as it was before.

He pulled up a chair to sit beside Jin.

_It wasn’t our fault for what happened._

Link shook away the voice from inside his head and carefully crawled onto the bed and laid down beside Jin.

“This is mine to bear alone,” Link whispers, peering at Jin’s sleeping face, there was no sign of pain or dispair, or even rage or sorrow. There was no struggle in his best friend, or any of them as they slept. “It makes sense now, even how much I allow you all to come along with me on this journey, it’ll always be mine.”

Link closes his eyes to the loneliness inside his chest, drowning him in those truths, in the panic he had faced, in the quiet between him and his friend’s.

He was alone, and that’s how it should be.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I did look up some remedies for burns, and honey and cool water does help, I guess. :/ It's just something quick to add in a time of crisis while they're no where near a village. 
> 
> I hope you enjoyed.
> 
> Comments and/or Kudo's are appreciated.


End file.
